One Piece: Spirit Contract
by ureshiitamago
Summary: Kretcher is floating in a dingy at sea, dehydrated and malnutritioned, when she gets saved by two guys! One in a Strawhat, the other with moss green hair. Who are they? And how many adventures will Kretcher have with them and those they pick up along the way? Disclaier: There isn't any romance between the crew members. Nakama only. Rated T just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer:

Kretcher: this idiot doesn't own One Piece, that great and powerful honor goes to Oda! May he live long and prosper.

Ureshitamago: I'm not an idiot, and you just quoted Star Trek. Anyway, I hope you (the reader) enjoy the story. Please rate and comment. Since this is my first ever fanfic, I hope you all help me out with constructive criticism. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me if you don't want to put them in the comment section. FYI, I'm too lazy to do fighting scenes right now. So there will be a lack of them. Sorry.

One Piece: Spirit Contract

Introduction

I was 6 when I contracted my first spirit. It was entirely by mistake, but I was lonely and needed a friend. I was extremely lucky, but at the time, I didn't realize just how lucky I truly was. Contracting spirits should really come with a Kids, Don't Try This at Home message. I was lucky as Hell that I didn't die when completing my contract, that I was able to meet that spirit after what happened, and lucky as Hell that that particular spirit happened to be Billy.

I should probably explain myself here. Making a contract with a spirit requires 2 things. A lot of energy on the contractors part, and the spirit's freedom. They have to let themselves be shoves, very unceremoniously, into something that the contractor has to wear at all times. The contractor in return spends an enormous amount of spiritual energy to shove the spirit into that space. This is hard to do normally, harder when you're in your teens, and almost unheard of when you're 6.

Almost unheard of. Almost. Except for when you meet a spirit, like Billy, who wants to be shoved into a cramped space and sacrifice their freedom for the sake of a scared little girl, brimming with spiritual energies, who just lost her entire family. Except for when the item that the girl has is a relic from the spirits past.

Like Billy and I. I'm not going to go into too many details of my past just yet, but I'll say this. If it weren't for Billy, I never would've lived.

My name is Kretcher. Well, to be honest, that's my name _now_. But I left my old name behind me, along with my past. Except for Billy, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

I am 16, 5'4" (laugh all you like, I love my height, losers.), and I'm not going to disclose my weight. I have short spiky purple hair, and big lavender eyes to match it. Some people would say that I have no nose to speak of, and I tell them to shove it.

I think normally, my body proportions are good, but in the situation I'm in now, I very much resemble a Skeleton. I usually wear a nice white button-up, like the type you wear at a fancy restaurant, a light brown pleated miniskirt (or shorts, depending on what I feel like that day), and forest green sandals that only have one strap. (Over where the arch meets the toes if you don't know what I mean.)

I reserve one whole paragraph for jewelry and a tattoo. I have way to much jewelry. I shall start with my head. I have one lip piercing, two eyebrow piercings on my right eyebrow, and one on my left. On my left ear, I have a large teardrop shaped earring and 5 studs. On my right ear I have a large swirl shaped earring, and 3 studs. 12 necklaces, 3 bracelets of varying sizes on my left wrist, and 5 rings, one on each finger. I also wear three bracelets on my right wrist, but 7 rings instead of 5. On my upper right arm, I wear 5 arm bands. Around my waist, a clock chain with a clock that doesn't work, and a belt. On the belt are 2 key chains. On my left leg I have 2 ankle bracelets and 5 toe rings. On my right leg, I wear one near my knee that looks like a coiled snake, then 2 ankle bracelets, and 5 toe rings. My tattoo looks like 愛, and is just below my left shoulder.

If you count them up, my jewelry equals to about 68. I don't especially _like_ jewelry, it's just that jewelry is the least invasive way of contracting spirits. They find one they like, and it's easier to shove the into that piece of jewelry. Everyone likes bling.

I don't have contracts with 68 spirits. I only have one so far. Billy, who resides in the large teardrop on my left ear.

I should probably explain about Billy. He's 6'3", buff, bald, has a 5 o'clock shadow, black eyes, white t-shirt, tattered jeans, and doesn't wear shoes. (I personally believe that deep down he's a nature lover. He denies this a lot.) His weapons are his spiked gloves. He always has a sour look on his face, but is very sweet. He's like a father to me.

Now that introductions are over, I can direct your attention to my current predicament.

Chapter 1: Establishment

In the middle of some ocean somewhere, without food or water, in a dinky little lifeboat. In other words, **help**! Well, actually help wasn't that far away, but I didn't know that, so I continued to wait for my impending death looming closer and closer. I could actually kind of see the light when I heard voices.

_Oh, goody._ I thought, _I get to go insane while I die. How nice. Wow, they sound close._

"Zooooorooooo. I'm huuunnngrryy."

"Shut up. So am I."

"But I'm really hungr-hey! There's a fishing boat over there! With Seagulls swarming over it! Maybe there's fish!"

"Well do that arm thing and grab whatever's in there. I'm going to sleep."

"Ok!"

_Wait…what arm thing? And those voices sound suspiciously real._ I started to lift my head, but before it was entirely off the ground, a hand came out of nowhere and grabbed me around the waist. Then, before I could ready myself, it was pulling me over the water, faster than I could think.

THUNK

I slammed against the boat, twirled in the air, and landed on something soft.

"HEY LUFFY, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?"

"Whoops, sorry Zoro." I decided this 'Luffy' fellow was the one who pulled me out of my sorry excuse for a boat, and 'Zoro' was the fellow I most likely landed on. I wanted to get off of him, but because of dehydration and malnutrition, my body felt as though it were made of lead.

"AAAAAAAAH! A SKELETON" Shouted the person I now associated with the name 'Luffy'.

"WHAT?" Boy did _he_ have a pair of lungs.

"…No'…thkele'on…" I rasped, to dehydrated to form a proper sentence.

"No? Well, you sure look like one. I'm going to call you Skelly." I was quickly forming an opinion of Luffy, and I thought he was funny. I had a morbid sense of humor.

"Do…you…haf…wa'er?" I didn't have my eyes open, so I couldn't see that they were looking at me with some concern.

"Yup." Luffy said, he sounded around my age. "We have water."

"Want some?" That was the 'Zoro' fellow. He sounded maybe two years older than me.

"Yeth pleath." I said, struggling with my immobile body to move off of Zoro. He decided to help a little by picking me up and placing me against the side of the boat. I opened my eyes finally, feeling as though I had shoved handfuls of sand into them and rubbed vigorously. I winced at the light, and took the ladle that a boy in a straw hat was handing me. He and an 18 year old were looming over me, concerned looks on their faces. I took a gulp of water. It was the best thing I had ever tasted.

2 days later

I wasn't dehydrated anymore, but we were starving. I had thought many times of the irony of the saying, "Water, water everywhere, but nary a drop to drink." Well, we had plenty of water, in and out of the boat. It was food that we lacked. Luffy, Zoro, and I were getting along quite nicely. Luffy had even asked me to join his pirate crew, and since I had no one else besides Billy, who I was too weak to even mind-speak with him. The conversation betwixt Luffy and I went something like this.

"Hey Skelly." (Luffy)

"Hey yourself." (Me while I was whittling myself a new bracelet."

"What's your name? You never told us." At this point Zoro stopped snoozing and looked over from his place at the head of the boat.

"I didn't? I'm sorry. My name's Kretcher."

"What kind of a name is Kretcher?" Luffy asked, looking confused. Zoro gave me an almost identical look. I decided not to answer that question.

"…"

"You wanna join my Pirate crew?"

"Pirate crew?" Now he had me interested. I gave him my full attention.

"Yeah! I'm gonna be the Pirate King, and Zoro is going to be the #1 swordsman in the world!" I thought about it for a few seconds.

"Sure! Sounds like an adventure! Why not?"

"Yay! So, what were you doing in that fishing boat half dead?" He asked. Zoro went back to sleep. I grinned.

"Ironically, I was looking for an adventure." He grinned back.

That's how I came to join the Strawhat crew.

Now, we are sitting, all three of us, looking at the sky. Our stomachs growled in unison.

"I'm huuuungry." Whined Luffy. Zoro told him something, but I tuned them out. They had been having this conversation every few minutes. I jumped a little as Luffy suddenly zoomed through me line of sight and latched onto a speck in the sky. I watched for a few minutes, then remarked casually to Zoro,

"I do not think he is coming down." I was soon proved right.

"I'M STUUUUUUUCK!" Yelled Luffy, his voice echoing across through the air. I could now see that the speck was, in fact, a giant bird, and Luffy's head was in its beak. I finally felt panicked.

"LUFFY!" Zoro and I shouted. Zoro started row in the direction the bird was heading with great vigor. I clutched to the side of the boat with all of my replenished strength so that I wouldn't fall overboard. As I was doing this, I noticed two guys with clownish faces in the water, screaming for help.

"I DON'T HAVE TIME TO STOP SO JUST GET ON!" Shouted Zoro as he attempted to run them down. I stared at Zoro bug eyed, and then scowled at the clowns when they hopped on. I don't like clowns.

Turns out they were also Pirates. They tried to kill us and take over the boat, but Zoro clobbered them and made them row in the direction we had been going previously. I grumbled and glared at them with an intense dislike. They were nervous. When Zoro asked why they were in the water without a boat, they told us that a girl had stolen their boat and left them to a storm in a rickety old dingy while she sailed away with their gold. I laughed at them, and applauded the girl. They glared at me for laughing, but I didn't care. I hate clowns.

"She must be a great navigator then, to be able to discern when a storm is going to hit and where it will hit." I told Zoro. He grunted in reply and then looked at the clowns.

"You made me lose sight of my friend." He said accusingly. They flinched, and I mentally cheered Zoro on. Did I mention that I don't like clowns?

"Hey Skeleton." I looked at Zoro. "When we get to wherever we're going, go find something to eat. You need it more than me and Luffy." I nodded, then replied.

"Much appreciated Zoro-san." I had long since taken to putting honorifics after their names, even though Luffy was the same age as me. They had gotten used to it, and had stopped asking me to drop it.

2 hours later

We arrived at a harbor, and seeing their boat, the clowns surmised that the girl who duped them must be there. Then they told us that Their captain was there too, and that we shouldn't get on his bad side, because that would end in our death.

"What's his name?" I asked, wondering if the clown stuff was a theme or if it was just these two weirdos.

"Buggy the Clown." Of course. I glanced at the tall buildings.

"I highly doubt that we're going to find him walking the streets Zoro-san. Are you able to climb the roofs? Yes? Then look for a circus tent. If this Buggy fellow is obsessed with clowns," I shuddered. "then he'll want to live like one as well." Zoro grinned at me and nodded, then jumped onto a building.

"Oooh, I see it. I'll go find Luffy, you go find yourself some food." He called to me.

"But I-"

"No buts. Go eat." He commanded. I snapped my heels together and saluted him.

"Yes sir." I turned on my heel and sauntered off, hearing his laughing fade behind me as I turned into a side street.

"Excuse me for entering." I said to the empty house I had decided to loot. Quickly, I found a pen and a sheet of paper and wrote;

I am very sorry for eating your food, Here are some Beri to pay off my debt. I am forever grateful.

~A starving individual

I looked at the paper, then, satisfied with what I wrote, I stuck it onto the wall with a pin. I dug into the food in a frenzy, tears of joy streaming down my face as I put food into my stomach for the first time in weeks. I had enough sense to stop before I threw up, so I put the remaining food away, and strolled outside.

**BOOM **

Everything shook around me and I smothered a scream. The whole row of houses in front of me had been flattened. Shards were flying everywhere, and I had to weave and dodge to avoid getting hit. I stood there for a few seconds, then located where the blast had originated. I could see it now, the tent I had told Zoro to look for. There was a cannon facing my direction, and a cage next to it. There was someone inside. Then I recognized the Strawhat and my jaw dropped. Luffy was a prisoner of Buggy. There was an orange-headed girl in front of the cannon, and I noted with astonishment that the cannon was now pointed towards Luffy! My vision started to become blurry, and I staggered back a few steps and leaned against a wall for support in case I fainted. My vision cleared and I looked up at the tent again. The cannon was now pointing away from Luffy. I sighed with relief. Zoro was up there.

**BOOM**

There was a lot of smoke in the area of the tent. I decided to walk around to the next street to see if they would turn up there. I ambled, I admit. I took more time than I could've. I had just gotten to the other side of the street when there was another explosion.

**BOOM**

This time I shrieked and dove sideways, protecting my head and neck with my hands. I huddled on the ground for a moment, not quite sure if the fireworks were over yet. When I was positive, I picked myself up and looked around. Everything was a mess. Then I spotted a cage, the same one Luffy had been in, and I trotted over to it. There was an old man and the Orange-head beside the cage.

"Luffy-san! There you are. Zoro-san and I were looking for you." Luffy turned towards me and waved, grinning.

"So where were you then?" he asked, still grinning, so I took this as a joke. "Zoro and Nami were the only one's up there from my crew!"

"WHY ARE YOU COUNTING ME?" Yelled the ora-Nami.

"She's going to be our Navigator!" He added, eyes shining. I laughed at the look on Nami's face.

"I was liberating some food from the kitchens. I left some Beri to pay it off, but I think it got blown up along with the house. Where _is_ Zoro-san anyway?" As soon as I said it, Luffy's eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I FORGOT! ZORO WAS IN ONE OF THE HOUSES THAT JUST GOT KNOCKED DOWN!" I was barely listening. I had noticed a strange little dog sitting in front of the pet store in front of Luffy, and was petting it and smiling.

"You're not even worried for a fellow crew member?" asked Nami, she sounded a little disgusted.

"Hmmm? Oh, you mean Zoro? Ah, well, he's a monster, so he'll be fine. I'm Kretcher by the way." I added, standing up and wiping my hands off on my skirt. I held my hand out to her.

"Nice to meet you Nami-san." I smiled. She looked at my hand.

"Are you a Pirate too?" she asked. I cocked my head to the side in confusion.

"Ye-es?" I said, drawing out my answer.

"She's our spirit contractor!" Luffy supplied, and I laughed.

"I only have one spirit contract to far Luffy-san." I said, hand still being offered awkwardly to Nami. She turned away.

"I don't shake hands with Pirates. I steal from them." She said. I could feel my patience starting to wear thin with this woman.

"AH! ZORO! YOU'RE OK!" shouted Luffy, and I quickly swung around to see for myself. He was sitting up in a pile of debris, yawning and scratching his head.

"That's some alarm clock." He said, and I laughed.

"HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?" shouted Nami. Just then, we heard a roar that seemed to shake the earth.

"RUN!" shouted the old man, "IT'S BEAST TRAINER MOJI AND HIS LION!" He and Nami ran off.

"Lion?" I asked Luffy, who shrugged. Then, when the roar started again, closer this time, he panicked and started strangling the poor dog, yelling something about a key. A bead of sweat dropped down my face as I knelt down to the lock. I took some hairpins out of my pocket and was busy picking the lock when an impact hit me on the side of the head, and I knew no more.

**Tadaaa! Cliff hanger! I don't like writing fighting scenes, they're so tedious and boring…But I swear on my computer that I will have some fighting scenes that involve Kretcher(or Skelly, or Skeleton) soon! And I promise to introduce Billy in the next chapter! maybe…**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer

Ureshiitamago: No matter how much I want to, I'll never own One Piece…I do own Kretcher however, because she's my OC.

Kretcher: You are delusional woman. You do not own ME! I OWN YOU! MWAHAHAHAHA!

Ureshiitamago: Aaaah! What is this sudden strange turn in events?

Luffy: Meeeeaaaat! Ah! Forgot. Don't forget to follow, favorite, and comment, blah blah blah. Now, where's the meat?

Ureshiitamago: …*points to the fridge and starts to sob* Don't take ALL of it! I might starve!

Chapter 2: Encounter- enter new crew member; Nami-san!

My eyes blinked open and I involuntarily groaned in pain. My head felt like nails were being hammered into it by a very buff Lion.

_ Why a Lion?_ I wondered, then remembered in a flash.

_**"Lion?" I asked Luffy, who shrugged. Then, when the roar started again, closer this time, he panicked and started strangling the poor dog, yelling something about a key. A bead of sweat dropped down my face as I knelt down to the lock. I took some hairpins out of my pocket and was busy picking the lock when an impact hit me on the side of the head, and I knew no more.**_

_Aaah, so that's what it was. Good going my subconscious. Maybe I can find that Lion and beat it's ass all the way to Hell. That son of a #$%*._ I felt incredibly angry. Partly at the Lion for sneaking up on me, but mostly at myself for letting that happen. I just needed something to take it out on, and the Lion was a good target.

(Blaming yourself again for something you couldn't control, eh? That is really so like you.) A gruff, but affectionate voice resounded in my head. Immediately, I felt lighter.

(You would too Billy.) I answered, standing up and looking around.

(This isn't the first time you've been knocked out you know.)

(The last time was when I was 10 for crying out loud. I should've been more careful. Did you notice where Luffy-san went? Or how about that stupid oversized cat?)

(The Lion) He said, then paused. I noticed that he had put an emphasis on the word Lion. Like I really cared. (smacked Luffy-kun through buildings. Then they set that Pet shop on fire. Luffy-kun beat them up then walked off.)

(Aaaw, that's so sweet of him!) I exclaimed, grinning at the way Luffy had dealt with the Lion.

(I hope he saved some Lion for me to beat up though.) I added, smacking my fist against my palm, rattling the bracelets on both wrists.

(I think not.) Billy's voice was firm, and I could tell he was digging in, getting ready for a confrontation.

(What, so he _didn't_ save any Lion for me?) I asked, though I knew full well what Billy had meant.

(No, I _meant_ that you, young lady, will not be fighting that Lion. You can only _just_ mind-speak with me, and even that's strained. No, I think it best if you sit this one out. I think it's almost over anyway.) He said. I winced; Billy was like a father to me in every way. He even made sense like one sometimes, but that only came when I was too weak to do anything. I sighed, giving in.

(At least tell me where the fighting is going on? Please?) I held my breath. I could feel him considering my request and weighing the pros and cons. Finally, he answered by showing a memory of Luffy, Nami, Zoro, and the Old Man running towards where the Clown tent had been blown up. I gave Billy a mental thumbs up and started jogging in that direction.

2 minutes later

I arrived just as Luffy shouted,

"**GOMU-GOMU NO~ BAZOOKA!**" and sent a midget clown flying over my head into the sky. The spot where he disappeared glinted. I started laughing.

"Ah! Skelly! Good to see you're ok! The Lion was beat up." He was grinning, even while he picked up his Strawhat, now tattered with three vertical cuts on the top. I stopped laughing.

"Are _you_ ok?" I asked. He had told me the story behind the Strawhat while we were on the boat, and I knew how much it meant to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine now that I've beat up the guy that did it." He said, stuffing it on his head. "I can still wear it."

"I can fix that." Nami walked over to us, dragging 2 oversized bundles behind her.

"You can?" Asked Luffy, cheering up more.

"Sure. It's your treasure isn't it?" She said, stopping before us and handing Luffy on of the bags. It jangled.

"Does this mean that you'll be our navigator?" Luffy asked, brightening up. Nami looked at him for a minute while he held out his hand. A look came over her face, but passed over before I could discern was it was.

"I wont be a Pirate." She said, then high-fived Luffy. "But we can work together for a while." She and Luffy grinned. Just then I spied Zoro lying face down on the ground. I walked over to him.

"Need a hand up, Zoro-san?" I asked, smirking at him. He glared at me, but grinned and took my hand.

"Yeah, sure Ms. I-get-knocked-out-by-a-mere-Lion." I dropped him back down. After I scolded him and he apologized, I picked him back up and walked him over to Luffy and Nami.

"I guess I need to re-introduce myself." I said to Nami.

"My name's Kretcher, and I'm the Spirit Contractor for the crew. This jewelry I'm wearing is specially designed to house spirits. Touch the and I will kill you in the most inventive way possible, Ms. I-steal-from-Pirates-san." I grinned at her, indicating that it was a joke, and then in all seriousness added,

"No, really. The jewelry will kill anyone who steals them from me." She shuddered. I turned to Luffy.

"Good news Luffy-san. I am now strong enough to contact Billy. Which means that soon, I'll be able to transform." He jumped up and down in delight. Then, Zoro spoke up.

"Who're they?" He asked, jerking his chin in the direction he meant. We all looked over, and saw people, lots of people, with real weapons and improvised ones.

"Well," I said, pondering for a moment. "If I had to guess, I'd say that they're the villagers."

(I'd say that you're right) Billy said.

"Billy agrees with me." I told Luffy, who nodded and turned to the villagers. One of them spoke up.

"We're the people of this Village. Did the Pirates stir up a fight amongst themselves? If you know anything, please tell us." I looked to Luffy to respond. He was our Captain after all. Nami responded instead.

"Ah, so you're the Villagers. I think some of the Pirates are still here." I almost giggled, but held my tongue. There were some Pirates right in front of them.

"You want us to tell you something but there isn't mu-"

"AAAAAHHH! MAYOR!" Yelled the same man that had talked to us before.

"So he was the Mayor." I mumbled under my breath.

" MAYOR! PLEASE WAKE UP DAMMIT! THIS IS DEFINITELY THE WORK OF THOSE PIRATES!" I almost giggled again, but again I stopped it. I had a sneaking suspicion about _who_ had knocked the Old Man out, and it wasn't any of the Buggy pirates. My suspicions were confirmed as Luffy said,

"Ah, sorry 'bout that. I knocked the old man out." I did giggle at this, but only a little. Nami glared at me like I wasn't helping. Which, in all honesty, I probably wasn't. The villagers faces turned scary, and they turned to us and hefted their weapons menacingly.

"Why'd you tell them that?" Nami shouted at Luffy. He turned to her, very serious.

"You saw me do it right?" I held in my guffaws, but a few bursts of quiet laughter escaped me, and I was shaking from the effort of stopping the laughter from leaving. Luckily, none of the Villagers noticed.

"I did, BUT THAT WAS BECAUSE YOU HAD A GOOD REASON!" Nami was still shouting at Luffy, who was maintaining his serious face. I almost exploded. The villagers started up again. Two of them yelling at us.

"HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO OUR MAYOR" Shouted Villager 1.

"IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT KIND OF EXCUSE YOU GIVE US!" (villager 1 and 2 together)

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU ANYWAY? ARE YOU WITH THE PIRATES?" shouted Villager 2.

(Bingo) Billy and I both thought at the same time. I looked at Nami, her thoughts and feelings were all over her face. Confliction, panic, agitation. Then Luffy spoke up, and said the thing that would get us into trouble many times over in the future.

"We're Pirates." I couldn't hold it in anymore, and neither, apparently, could Zoro. We both laughed. The villagers held their weapons even more menacingly at us and roared. Nami continued to yell at Luffy, who looked amused.

"YOU IDIOT!"

"But it's the truth." Then he noticed the villagers tense up to attack.

"LET'S RUN!" He shouted, picking up the bag of treasure again, then taking Zoro's other side. We ran for our lives, four out of 5 of us enjoying every minute of it. The screams of the villagers following us.

"AH, THEY'RE RUNNING AWAY!"

"FOLLOW THEM!"

"WE WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY!"

"WE'LL PAY YOU BACK FOR WHAT YOU DID TO MAYOR!"

While we were running, Nami apparently found enough breath to ask Luffy,

"Why the hell did you make the situation more complicated?"

"This is a good Village."

"What?"

"Just for their Mayor, for one person, they're getting angry." I grinned. Luffy could be this kind of person too.

"No matter what excuse we give, they'll still be mad at us!" He added, then laughed his weird 'shishishi' laugh. I was looking around for en exit, then recognized an alleyway.

"Turn here!" I shouted, and we all ran around the corner, then jumped over the dog that I had been petting earlier. After we landed and kept going, the dog started barking, and I could hear the Villager's confused voices ordering her to move.

"THANKS SHUUSHUU!" Yelled Luffy. I looked at him.

"Fill me in later?"

"Yup" we kept running until we reached the docks. When we got there, the clowns that Zoro and I had rescued, than subsequently beaten up, appeared in front of us, acting all macho. Since I was half covered by Zoro's arm, and I was small anyway, they didn't see me.

"You…guys are…" said Nami, and I realized that she must've been the one that conned the clowns. They laughed and taunted her.

"Do you know these guys?" asked Luffy, looking at Nami and pointing at the clowns.

"Hmm…sort of."

"Sort of? WE HAVE A LONG HISTORY!" They shouted. I could feel myself becoming more and more irritated with them.

"Stealing from others is a bad thing to do." Said clown number 1. "Did you get a gang?" He patted Zoro on the head.

"Hey, don't faint like a coward man! Show your face already." Zoro slowly lifted his head.

"HUH?" He looked positively murderous. I wanted to applaud him, but I was holding him up. The effect on the clowns was instantaneous. They jumped back, then ran away screaming their apologies.

We were getting underway when the old man suddenly showed up. He wasn't wearing his armor.

"STOP RIGHT THERE YOU MORONS!" he shouted. I was liking him more and more by the second.

"Mister Mayor." Luffy said, he looked surprised that he had woken up so soon.

"I'M SORRY!" he shouted, "I OWE YOU!" All of us grinned, then Luffy shouted back;

"DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT! JUST LIVE HAPPY LIVES!" I chuckled and waved to the old man. Tears were streaming down his face, but he was smiling like a lunatic.

**Aaaaand; 2****nd**** chapter done! **** I feel accomplished. If there was anything wrong in the last chapter, it was because I haven't read the first few books in a while. But rest assured, I now have reference in front of me. There are a few dialogue bits I skip, but that's on purpose. Criticism welcome, I would like some so I can make this a better story.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ureshiitamago: I am so sooo sorry that I didn't publish any chapters out earlier! Please don't kill me!**

**Kretcher: You should be sorry. You left my story hanging like I was a piece of MEAT!**

**Luffy: DID SOMEONE SAY MEAT?**

**Ureshiitamago & Kretcher: …*sweatdrop***

**Ureshiitamago: There's no meat here.**

**Zoro: Then do you have Sake?**

**Ureshiitamago: …I don't drink…so, no.**

**Zoro & Kretcher: Go. Die. Now.**

**Ureshiitamago: EEEEEEEEEHHH? WHY EVEN MY OC? WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS? Ah. I don't own One Piece or the characters, just my OCs. :P If you want the real thing, please read the manga and don't yell at me if it doesn't completely follow it, I try my best. Thank you for reading *bows***

**Nami: We're starting now huh?**

Chapter 3: The Forest Weirdo-enter the strange man in the treasure chest

Turns out that Luffy had left the bag of treasure he had been carrying at the wharf to help the villagers repair their village. Nami was quite upset with him, and Zoro and I laughed heartily as she attempted to drown our loveable Captain.

"Stu-pid" Nami said, laughing as well, then bonked Luffy on the head.

"That didn't hurt at all" Luffy replied, making everyone else laugh more. Between gasps, Nami turned to me and said,

"Why do you add –san to everybody's name Kretcher? We look about the same age."

"Well, I was raised to be polite to everyone, and adding the honorific was the chief lesson. Our hands were hit with a willow stick if we didn't comply. That's why, Nami-san." Everyone had fallen silent. I had spoken lightly about it because it was in the past, but they looked at me in horror.

"They would WHIP your hands if you just forgot the honorific?" Nami asked in horror. I nodded, a little perplexed as to why they were acting like this.

"They would also tie us to boards to make us sit up straight. It was damn uncomfortable, so most of us would only need to use it once in order to remember. If you were found slouching, you were whipped and then tied to the board." I paused, thinking.

"Ah, yes. There was also-"

"LALALALALALALALALALALA! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!" Shouted Nami. Luffy and Zoro both nodded in agreement. I cocked my head, then shrugged.

"Here Luffy, give me your hat so I can fix it." Nami said, then expertly stitched the hole on the top of Luffy's hat together. Luffy's eyes were sparkling when she handed it back.

"IT'S FIXED!" He shouted, putting one foot on the bow of the boat and shouting to the sky. Zoro had gone to sleep.

"I just mended it. I think it will be ok, just try not to poke it too much." She said, and Luffy proceeded to start poking it.

"Right, right, thanks. You did a great job mending my hat. Uh oh." His finger poked through the hole. I smothered a laugh with my hand.

"DID YOU LISTEN TO WHAT I JUST SAID?!" Yelled Nami, poking Luffy hard on the forehead with her needle.

"OOOOOOOOW! STOP POKING ME WITH THAT NEEDLE!" howled Luffy.

"ITS USELESS IF I HIT YOU, SO I HAVE TO USE THE NEEDLE!" Nami yelled back. Luffy hit his fist to his palm in a I-get-it-now way.

"Ah, that makes sense."

"You guys are too noisy. I can't sleep." Said Zoro, sitting up. I grinned at him, then turned to Nami.

"I'm hungry." I remarked.

"So am I." Luffy added. Nami glared at us. Zoro grinned at me, and then turned to her as well.

"Share food with us." He commanded, and I started laughing. Nami's face got red and she proceeded to scold us.

"Oh please, you guys need to be more prepared. You dare to sail the sea's without food or water, you underestimated the sea." I nodded in agreement.

"Ah, I see something." Remarked Luffy. I moved over to him while the conversation continued behind us.

Nami: "It's a miracle you've survived up to now."

Zoro: "When there's a will, there's a way."

"It's an Island." Luffy said.

"Yup"

"That island's no good. It's unpopulated, so it's of no use. Let's just sail past it." Nami said. I jumped. I hadn't thought that she had been listening to Luffy. (She does have ears you know.) Billy said. (I know. I just thought that she was too busy scolding Zoro to listen.) Luffy grabbed the oars and started rowing towards the Island, not listening to Nami. I sat down, still looking at the island. I didn't listen as Nami yelled something, or when Luffy and Zoro started talking. I was centered on the Island and there was a possibility of food. I drooled. (That isn't very becoming) (I don't care. There's food.) (You just ate.) (I'm hungry again.) (*sigh*)

I stayed spaced out until we reached the Island. As soon as we grounded, I hopped out of the boat and pulled it farther ashore with the help of Billy's strength. I was finally strong enough to call on the strength, but I still couldn't fully transform. After I was done, I turned and started walking into the forest, calling over my shoulder,

"I'm going hunting, if I'm not back by sundown, then look for me." I heard a shouted acknowledgement from Nami as I started through the first trees. Immediately I could tell that something was off. In front of me was the strangest creature that I had ever seen. It was half Eagle, and half Tiger. I knew that there was a word for this type of creature, and after us staring at each other for a while, I finally remembered. (It's a Gryphon.) I said to Billy. (And he seems to be a spirit too.) Billy answered. (His spirit levels go way beyond mine. It's almost scary. But I don't think he means you any harm Kretcher.) This was Billy's way of saying that he approved of this possible new companion. I mentally nodded to him, and then bowed low to the Gryphon. They were proud creatures, and responded well to politeness.

"My name, o' proud and noblest of creatures, is Kretcher, and the one inside my earring is Billy. I am a Spirit contractor, and he is my Spirit. If at all possible, I would love to give to you a home where you can spend your days. May I humbly ask what your greatness's name might be?" I had done speeches like this before, and was fully prepared for the Gryphon to refuse, at best, and, at worst, to attack me. However, I was happily surprised.

"While I do not argue with your logic that I am the noblest of creatures, fair Kretcher, and I would love to make a home with one so blessed of tongue, I must refuse your kind offer, for there is something on this Island that keeps me here, and without that objective resolved, I fear that I will not ever be able to make a home with you. Now, raise your head young one, it is rather unbecoming for you to keep it bowed when you are endowed with the woman's gift of beauty." His voice was that of a purring tiger, and though I had a high sensitivity to pervertedness, he had meant the last as a complement, and I didn't really mind complements, as long as they didn't come from perverts. I had an idea, but needed to know his name before anything else.

"My name, dear Kretcher, is Sharpclaw, from how I used to hunt and fight." I nodded, his claws did look sharp.

"Then, if I may call you Sharpclaw-sama?" he nodded in acceptance. "Might you tell me what is weighing on your mind so heavily?"

"And if you absolve it, I could make a home with you." He finished for me, and nodded thoughtfully. I hesitantly nodded, Gryphon's, or at least, the ones I had met from the past, were notorious for sudden mood swings, and were easily angered. Again he proved me to be wrong.

"Very well, Young Kretcher, I shall tell you. For it seems as though I might have more fun if I went with you and your Nakama Billy. I also assume that the one's currently in a scuffle with this Island's protector are your Nakama as well." His eyes sparkled good naturedly, and I realized he was smiling, so I smiled back.

"I would love to have Sharpclaw-sama as my Nakama as well." I said, and his eyes lit up more.

"On the top of this mountain lies a treasure. But not the glittery gold kind that humans like, but the soft warm kind, with good memories attached to it. Well, to be precise, it's a feather, my feather. I had loaned it to this man called 'Roger' years ago, and while I was still waiting to become a ghost, he must've come back, for it was resting on the mountain along with a load of the cold rocks that humans stupidly love. You are not stupid though, for you seem to know what I mean when I say that the feather is my treasure. I cannot pick it up, and since it is my feather, I can weave it into that spiral earring of yours so the transfer will come easier. But it is filled with memories, so I cannot leave without it." He finished his monologue with a sigh. I grinned at him.

"Climbing a mountain for a friend is nothing to me. Please leave it all to Billy and I, we will surely retrieve your feather for you." I looked at the mountain rising up in the middle of the Island and turned to it.

"Wait here, I'll be back!" I said over my shoulder, then started running to the mountain. (Billy, can you sense where everyone is?) (They are by the mountain. I never would've thought that a Gryphon would be that laid back. All the rest were very…irritable…) (The word you want is pompous.) (Yes, that.) (I'm glad Sharpclaw-sama decided to join our family. He's really nice.) (…I'm not nice then?) (Naw Billy, you're like a father to me. Ah! Here we are.) I arrived at the mountain and skidded to a stop. Luffy was on top of the mountain already. I cupped my hands around my mouth, took a breath, then stopped. He seemed to be talking to a weird bush on the ground, and the bush was…sobbing?

"THANK YOU LUFFY!" It shouted. I was confused. There was some more talking, then Luffy noticed me, hands still poised around my mouth.

"AH, HEY THERE SKELLY!" He shouted, "WHAT'RE YOU DOING HERE? DIDN'T YOU GO FOR SOME MEAT?" I nodded my head, and shouted back.

"LUFFY-SAN, IT'S IMPORTANT, BUT I NEED TO GET UP TO THE TOP OF THAT ROCK. COULD YOU PULL ME UP?" He looked at me.

"THERE'S NO MORE TREASURE HERE!" I was confused, what did he think I was after? No pirate, well, no _bad_ pirate, would think that a feather was a treasure. Then I remembered that there was a different treasure up there as well.

"I DON'T MEAN THE GOLD, LUFFY-SAN, THERE'S ANOTHER TREASURE UP THERE THAT SOMEONE IS WAITING FOR. PLEASE PULL ME UP?" I waited for a few minutes while he considered this. Then suddenly, with a sense of déjà vu, that familiar hand wrapped around my waist, and before I could scream, I was shooting towards him. I landed with a thud beside him, groaning in pain. After a bit, I was able to sit up. I looked to me left, he was there, looking at me expectantly.

"So Skelly, what's the treasure?"

"A feather."

"A feather? Why would anybody need that?" He asked. I shook my head.

"It's for a spirit I found residing in the forest. It is very important to him." I looked around, then saw it on the other side of the hill. I stood up and walked over to it, picked it up, and then turned around. I grinned at Luffy.

"Found it." I jumped off of the mountain and started to the forest.

"MEET US AT THE BOATS!" Yelled the shrub. I waved, and sped up. After a few minutes of whacking through underbrush and generally having a bad time with everything, I finally reached Sharpclaw.

"Look Sharpclaw-sama! I found your feather!" I had carefully placed it in a handkerchief inside a box so it wouldn't be ruined by the several hundred sharp tree branches that I had encountered on my way back. He was still where I had left him, and he turned to me, waving his wings and jumping on his feet. I could tell he was ecstatic, so I opened the box, and unwrapped the cloth. The feather lifted itself up, and shone with an almost eerie light. It wavered little as it floated to Sharpclaw, who looked as content as a sharp eyed eagle could look, maybe more so. The feather circled around him twice before coming to a rest in front of his beak.

"Now, with your permission, dear Kretcher, I shall combine the feather with the large wooden spiral that adorns your right ear." I nodded.

"Of course." He flapped his wings once, twice, and three times, creating a wind that traveled directly to the spiral. The feather, caught up in the wind, twirled and flew to my earring, then wrapped around it, and melted into it. The wind died down.

"Now to commence the contract." Both Sharpclaw and I said at the same time, in our minds, and out loud. We were linked suddenly, our pasts intermingling, but the parts we didn't want known, even to each other, remained hidden. The light filled the small clearing, and we began.

"I, Spirit Contractor Kretcher, do formally accept Spirit Sharpclaw as a Spirit residing in this earring." The words created centuries ago came rushing out of my mouth smoothly. "Do you, Spirit Sharpclaw, accept being a welcome addition to this family?" This part was my addition, but since my goal was to create a home for spirits in need of one, that flowed as smoothly as the traditional words.

"I do. And I pledge my allegiance, body, and powers in return for Spirit Contractor Kretcher spending energies to create a space." The words done, we enjoyed brief togetherness where our thoughts and feelings were as one, and then the shoving into the object selected came. Admittedly, it isn't really _that_ bad, but it was similar. I sent a mental apology for the unceremonious welcome. He chuckled. I didn't need to spend so much energy to form a contract with him, but that was only because his treasure had assimilated with the earring first. I still felt weak in the knees, and then almost collapsed when I remembered what the shrub had said. (Sharpclaw-sama? Do you happen to know where the beach is? I seem to have forgotten.) I asked politely, letting my memory of him pause on where our boats had landed. Sharpclaw thought for a minute or two. (Yes, I might. We can drop the politeness you know. I try to be as polite as possible, but am not perfect. Talking like we did earlier requires effort, and I rather like the feeling of family you have with Billy.) (Why thank you) Billy said, joining the conversation. (She said that I'm like a father.) I could feel their amusement. (Then I shall be like a mother. Or another father.) I laughed, and the tension and the need for politeness went away. We spoke for a few minutes, getting a feel for what we could and couldn't deal with, and our likes and dislikes. Although all of this had come up when I had made my contract with him, I usually didn't dwell in their minds. They needed their privacy. Finally, Sharpclaw gave me directions, and I started walking to the boats.

5 minutes later

When I reached the boats, Luffy and the others were already there talking to the shrub. I raced across the beach to join them. Nami saw me and waved.

"-many rare animals in this forest." I had stumbled into a conversation between Luffy and the shrub. Nami spoke up.

"You're right! We saw a strange snake-pig earlier."

"There were many people who came to this Island to capture the animals," said the shrub, "and living here for 20 years has made me grow close to them. I can't leave them behind!" I realized that Luffy must've invited him into the crew.

"You're a rare and precious animal too Uncle." Said Luffy, making me sweatdrop.

"I'M GONNA KILL YA!" yelled the shrub. "Now that there is no more treasure, I feel relieved." He added, more calm. "I can live on this Island more comfortably."

"That's too bad, you're an interesting person, Uncle." Luffy said, grinning stupidly at him. The shrub opened his mouth in a wide smile.

"I'm sure you'll find good companions for your crew." He said. "And find the 'One Piece', and then buy the whole world!" (That's pretty ambitious.) Commented Billy. (But, if it's Luffy, I think he can do it.) Said Sharpclaw. I mentally murmured my agreement. Luffy said our suspicions aloud.

"That's right! I will do it! See ya!" he hopped into our boat, while Nami boarded the other. Zoro and I followed Luffy, and Zoro promptly fell asleep.

**O.o Wow. That was intense! NEW SPIRIT YAAAAY! It took me a while to figure out what it would be. I knew it would be an animal though. Hmmm. Are Gryphon's classified as animals?... I promise that Ussop will be in the next chapter. I wonder if I spelled his name right…There wont be any fighting scene's or violence in the chapters for Ussop. I know that there is a big battle, but Kretcher will only be there for part of it, for reasons only I'll understand for now. :) Muhahahaha!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ureshiitamago: I don't own One piece, no matter how much I'd like to…*cries* Kretcher, on the other hand I o-**

**Kretcher: *glare of worst death in the world***

**Ureshiitamago: *whimper* I-I-I m-made her? *tentatively* **

**Kretcher: *Nods and turns away***

**Luffy: MEEEEEAAAAAT! I mean, rate, comment and favorite…Meat?**

**Chapter 4: Enter-Captain Usopp!**

It was a fine day in the middle of the ocean. Without land in sight. I was munching on an apple as I listened to Nami scold Luffy, Zoro, and I…again.

"We need to plan things more." She said, adopting the classical 'thinking' look.

"What do you mean?" Luffy asked from his favorite seat on the 'figurehead' of our dismal boat. I never really understood why he sat there if he was a Devil's fruit user. He could easily fall over.

"Are we going to go to the Grand Line like this?" She asked, trying to make Luffy see her point.

"Oh, that's right! Even though Mr. Shrub gave us plenty of fruits, we don't have any meat on this ship!" He said, completely _not_ getting what she meant. Nami looked to e for help, but I didn't want to get too involved in _that_ conversation. So I nodded vigorously to Luffy, agreeing with him.

"You're right, Luffy-san! We definitely need meat on this boat." Nami face-palmed herself. Score; Kretcher-1, Nami-0.

"I'm _not_ talking about food supplies, you two." She growled. I was tempted to face-palm myself. I was involved in the conversation now. Luckily, Zoro decided to butt in.

"And we don't have any Sake to drink either. How boring." He had a mischievous glint in his eyes, and I almost laughed. He was definitely up to something. His goal was accomplished.

"LET'S NOT WORRY ABOUT FOOD AND DRINK FOR NOW!" Nami shouted. I covered my ears, that girl had _lungs_. She calmed down and then said, in a quieter voice this time,

"The place that we're going, the Grand Line, is the most dangerous ocean in the world. _Every_ pirate wishes to go there to get the treasure, so we need a better ship first." I nodded, she made a valid point. I decided to voice one of my thoughts.

"We're also short on crew members, and this ship doesn't have the proper equipment." Nami nodded to me in thanks.

"No matter _how_ you think about it, we can't possibly be safe!" She said, adopting the thinking pose again. Luffy actually looked slightly interested, which put me off my guard.

"Oh! What do we do then?" He asked. I almost fell off of my seat; he had actually asked a question that made sense! I thought about it some more, than dismissed what had happened. Even _Luffy_ had to have _some _coherent thought. (Aren't you being a little hard on the poor boy?) asked Sharpclaw, I didn't have to answer, Billy did that for me. (You weren't here when he went soaring into the sky for a bird that was almost 6 times his size.) (Ah, I see what you mean.) The conversation was still going on, so I pulled my attention to _that_ one.

"…to prepare first, and plan for the journey's ahead." Nami was saying. "There's a village due north. We should head there first." I nodded in agreement.

"First thing to do when we get there is find a better ship." She said, almost to herself. I yawned, then cracked up laughing when Luffy shouted;

"AND SOME MEAT!"; With an insane grin on his face as he pumped his fists into the air. I laughed for 5 minutes, and then finished off my apple. I looked at the core, trying to decide what to do with it. With a shrug, I popped it into my mouth, and ate it.

"What?" I asked as Nami stared at me with her mouth wide open, a look of shock plain on her face.

**3****rd**** person POV**

A man stood, at the edge of a cliff, arms crossed, a serious look on his face. He was wearing overalls, had a long nose, an afro, checkered handkerchief tied on his head, big eyes with long lower lashes, and a bag-purse hanging off of one shoulder. He laughed quietly.

"Hu hu! It's such a beautiful day…there's nothing like starting such a happy and refreshing day by looking at the sea!" His name was Usopp, a village youngster. The birds were chirping, and the sun was shining over his quiet town. It didn't stay quiet for long as Usopp came running down a path.

"This is bad! WE'RE IN DANGER! THE PIRATES ARE ATTACKING!" He yelled, looking quite flustered. He ran around, screaming some more.

"THE PIRATES ARE COMING! THE PIRATES ARE COMING! EVERYBODY, RUN!" An old man at a window reacted quite violently.

"WHAT? PIRATES?" Usopp ran around, screaming the same thing over and over.

In one house; "Oh! Usopp is starting to shout again, that means I have to go to work now." An old man said, finishing up his tea.

In another house; "Not again…" a man said with a grin.

Usopp; "I WAS JUST JOKING…! WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" he shouted before he was beaned in the head with a pot.

"WHY YOU LITTLE LIER!" yelled a man, emerging from his window with a broomstick in his hand. "I WONT LET YOU GET AWAY THIS TIME!"

"Uh oh!" said Usopp, looking pretty happy, "_everybody's_ coming out today!" a crowd formed, then turned to Usopp as one and shouted;

"STOP RIGHT THERE, YOU BASTARD!"

"WAHAHAHA! THEY'RE CHASING ME!" Usopp screamed as he ran from the angry mob.

A little while later

The villagers were looking around the area of the forest in vain. They were searching for Usopp, who had cleverly hid himself in a tree. They finally gave up and started walking back to the village, two of them stopping to say;

"Damn, he got away again."

"That guy doesn't seem to be able to go a day without lying! If I ever catch him, I'll make him pay!" They were growling about it, but didn't look too pissed off.

"Where did he go anyway?" they asked, unaware that Usopp was looking down at them from a tree branch above, and a little ways away from them.

"Hee hee hee hee he-" He laughed. "I fooled the whole village again!" he stretched out on his limb.

"I am very happy…I've done another good deed today!" He said, smiling broadly. "I've helped add some excitement to this boring village." As soon as he finished saying this, he heard his voice being called from below.

"Ah, there he is!" said a small child. Usopp looked at them, then recognized them.

"Oh ho! It's your guys!" Usopp said, his face lighting up. The two children raised wooden swords into the air and recited in synch;

"Good morning Captain Usopp! Usopp's pirate crew is ready for action!" One of them, Pepper, looked like a pepper. The other, Carrot, looked like a carrot. Or at least, their hair did. Usopp looked at them, then asked;

"Pepper, Carrot, why are only you two here? Where's Onion?" The other child looked exactly like an onion. Carrot and Pepper looked at each other.

"He's probably still sleeping." Said Carrot. "Right?"

"Uh huh, I think so." Said Pepper. Usopp looked confused.

"How can he sleep so much…?" There was some screaming going on farther down the road from where the three of them were standing.

"WAAAAAAAH! THIS IS BAAD AAAAAAAAAH!"

"It's Onion." Said Carrot.

"What's he yelling?" Wondered Pepper. They soon found out.

"THIS IS BAAD!" Yelled Onion, crying and looking scared. "THE PIRATES ARE COMING!" He stopped in front of them and continued screaming.

"IT'S TRUE! I JUST SAW IT! THE SHIP HAS A SKULL FLAG, AND IT HAS COME DOWN TO THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE SHORE!" When he finished yelling, Usopp, Carrot, and Pepper said, in amusingly perfect harmony;

"You're lying." With the straightest faces in the world.

"IT'S TRUE!" Yelled Onion. He continued in a somewhat calmer voice. "And the mark on the flag is that of the Buggy pirates!" Usopp looked so scared it was comical.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" he yelled, his eyes bugging out.

"IT'S TRUE!" yelled Onion, "WE'RE DEAD!" Usopp turned around and started running back home.

"Alas," he said, "time for snacks."

"DON'T RUN AWAY!" The three kids yelled.

"Actually," said Usopp, holding his stomach, "I have this disease that will kill me if I don't have my snack."

"YOU'RE LYING!" The kids yelled.

"CAPTAIN, AREN'T YOU ALWAYS SAYING THAT YOU WANT TO BE A REAL PIRATE?" Yelled Carrot.

"HOW CAN A PIRATE BE AFRAID OF OTHER PIRATES?" Added Pepper.

"THAT'S RIGHT! AND THERE ARE ONLY FOUR OF THEM…" yelled Onion. Usopp looked at him.

"What? Four?..." Usopp said. "Isn't it a big ship?" Onion shook his head and then held up two fingers.

"It's just two small boats." He said, looking quite serious. Usopp perked up faster than they could blink.

"Alright! Usopp's Pirate crew, move out! Lets fight for the villages peace!" He thrust one fist in the air, and then turned around and started running to the beach. "LET'S GO! FOLLOW ME!" The kids stood there for a few moments in silence.

"YES! YES CAPTAIN!" They shouted.

**Kretcher POV**

I sat up as we beached ourselves and Nami jumped out. Looking around, I could feel a slight presence that I didn't quite like, but I wanted a second and third opinion. (Billy? Sharpclaw-sama? Do you feel anything?) I opened up my senses for them, allowing them access to what I heard, saw, and smelt. After a few minutes, both of them were done with their 'scan'. Sharpclaw answered my question first. (I do not like the feel of the woods. It feels as though something evil is lurking there, or somewhere beyond it.) (Something evil, or _someone_ with evil intentions.) added Billy. I thanked them silently, and then turned my attention back towards the others.

I sweatdropped. We had gained a member, or, at least, met someone. 'Am I _that_ tuned out when I'm speaking with Billy and Sharpclaw?' I thought to myself as I made my way over. Luffy turned to me.

"Hey Skelly, this guy says that he'll take us to a place that has food." I felt a grin split my face in two, and I attacked the longnose with a hug.

A few minutes later

"Whaat? Looking for companions" Exclaimed longnose, or, as I now knew him, Usopp.

"So." He said, looking at Luffy. "You're looking for companions and a big ship?" Luffy tugged with his teeth at the meat on the meat-on-a-bone that he was holding and said,

"Yup!" Usopp smiled.

"Oh! Sounds like a great adventure!" He exclaimed. He turned serious, but still had a smile on his face.

"There's only one place where you can find the stuff that you want in this village…" He informed us, wagging a finger. "It's not a very big ship, but it's not that small either." Nami looked at him.

"Where?" She asked, fully intending on getting an answer. I was busy stuffing my face in a similar matter to Luffy, but I made sure to pay close attention to what they were talking about. Usopp looked at her and answered.

"There's a mansion not far from this village that belongs to a wealthy family. That ship belongs to the mansions owner." I glanced out the window next to me, and could see the mansion. It was in the same direction as the bad feeling was coming from. (That's definitely suspicious.) I said to Billy and Sharpclaw. They agreed, and I turned my attention back to the table conversation just in time.

"Although we say that she is the owner," he said, looking more serious than he had before, "she is a pitiful young girl…a weak and sick girl who always lies on her bed…" Nami looked shocked at this new information. I grabbed the last piece of meat before Luffy could eat it.

"Eh? Then how come she's the owner of the mansion?" Nami asked, glancing at the mansion outside the window.

"Old lady! Another piece of meat!" Luffy called to the owner of the shop we were eating at.

"I want some more Sake!" added Zoro. I swallowed my food and burst out laughing at Usopp's face when he shouted;

"LISTEN WHEN OTHER PEOPLE TALK!"

"I think it happened about a year ago…" he began, his face once again serious. "That girl's parents died of sickness, leaving her a large inheritance, a mansion, and over 10 servants…"

"Even if you _are_ really rich," he added, leaning back with a sigh, "it doesn't exempt you from sorrow." I noticed that Nami seemed a little…not Nami at this comment. She banged her hand on the table and said,

"Never mind. Let's forget about searching for a ship in this village. We'll go and search somewhere else." I stared at her, curious as to what had brought over the sudden change. I was still thinking about it when Luffy replied,

"Okay! But we're not in a hurry anyways! I still want some more meat." I grinned and added,

"Let's be sure to buy some dried meat for our ships food supply."

"You and Luffy would just eat it all." Joked Zoro, and I shoved him in the arm.

"Like _you_ can talk, Mr. I-cant-go-a-day-without-Sake." Everyone laughed. Usopp spoke up again, directing his question to Luffy.

"Oh yeah, you…you said that you were looking for companions?" Luffy looked interested.

"Is there somebody who wants to be our companion?" He asked, and I stopped mock-fighting with Zoro to pay closer attention. A sparkle appeared by Usopp's face.

"Let me be the Captain, and I'll go with you!" He said, posing for something. I felt the urge to hit him upside the head with a paper fan. Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and I looked at each other, then in perfect synch, looked back down at the table and said,

"Never mind."

"WHAT KIND OF ATTITUDE IS THAT?" screeched Usopp, his jaw dropping comically to the floor.

**3****rd**** Person POV**

At the mansion

"Uhm…Klahador…" said a female voice.

"What is it, Mistress Kaya?" this time it was a male voice.

A girl was sitting in bed, beautiful, but fragile looking. "I…want to see Usopp-san…" She said.

**To be continued! XD Wahaha! I think that this one is longer, but, then again, that could be just my hopeful thinking…oh well…well, until next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ureshiitamago: Oh god! I'm soo so sorry that it took so long to update I was at school. So, from here on, I'm only going to update (If I don't have a lot of HW) on the weekends! Don't kill me please!**

**Kretcher: *takes out knife* I. Will. Kill. You.**

**Ureshiitamago: NOOOOOOOO! Ah, I don't own One Piece (damn it!) But I do own Kretcher and any OC's or Original Islands that pop up. (There will be an Island or two that don't happen at all in the manga or anime.)**

**Luffy: Like, follow, and review, yada yada yada…where's my meat?**

**Ureshiitamago: *hands over key to fridge* On with the show!**

Chapter 5: Lying is bad. Enter the baddie!

I yawned, leaning back against the back of the bench we were seated at. I patted my stomach, which, to my delight, was distended. I smiled happily and looked around at my crewmates. Usopp had gone somewhere, but the rest of us were still here. Luffy was just finishing up his portion when the door to the restaurant burst open. Three kids, all looking like vegetables, surrounded our table and yelled;

"USOPP PIRATE CREW IS HERE!" We looked at them in understandable confusion. I turned to Luffy.

"Who're they?" He sipped his tea and replied;

"I dunno." I nodded and turned back to the spectacle before me. They had wooden swords out and were waving them (not so) menacingly. A dark aura suddenly surrounded them as they stared at our table.

"Hey, the captain isn't here." The carrot looking one said. I assumed that he meant Usopp. The Onion one spoke up next.

"It can't be that…he's been eaten!?" I almost spat out the tea I had been drinking. It was almost impossible to come to that conclusion unless you were really young, say, 4 or 5. They heroically attempted to make us throw up their uneaten captain while the rest of us sat watching them in amusement. Luffy finally put down his tea cup.

"Aah! That meat was delicious!" he had that stupid grin on his face so I couldn't tell if he was intentionally leading them on, or if was just oblivious to what his words meant to the young ones in front of him. A bead of sweat dropped down my head as Zoro chuckled and made the situation worse by saying;

"Your captain…we just…ate him." My shoulders started shaking from me trying to hold back my laughter. Nami giggling wasn't making things any better. The three of them looked at Nami, then at me, then back to Nami, then their jaws dropped and their eyes bugged.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!ONIIIIBAAABAAAA!" I started guffawing, then Nami shouted back at them, only serving to add more fuel to the fire.

"WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME?" They stared at her, and then fainted. I clutched my stomach and doubled over. I never knew that laughing could hurt this much. My laughing stopped abruptly when Nami hit me over the head with her staff. I rubbed my bump and scowled at her. She turned to Zoro, who was also laughing.

"WHY DID YOU TELL THEM THOSE WEIRD THINGS? AND YOU!" She turned toward me, and I ducked another swing of her staff.

"YOUR LAUGHING DOESN'T HELP IN THE LEAST!" I mumbled an apology and got up.

"I'm going to go for a quick walk, and maybe I'll stop by a store for supplies. Aside from meat and grog, what else do we need?" I said. Nami started checking off a list of thing which I quickly memorized. Nami and Zoro got out of their seats and let me by. I stopped at the three unconscious brats, paid for a water jug, and then poured the water over them. They awoke sputtering, and I strolled out the door. (Do you think it's ok for you not to tell them about that presence?) asked Sharpclaw. There was a pause and then Billy answered. (She just doesn't want to worry them. Nami looks like she has enough on her plate already.) (You noticed it too huh.) I mind-spoke. (I think she has something weighing her down that can't be explained.) Sharpclaw sent a confused mind wave before saying, (How do you know this, Kretcher? How do you know that she has a burden? I could not sense anything from her.) I mentally nodded to Billy to answer his questions and opened up my eyes, bringing Sharpclaw up to see through them. (Kretcher and I have been through many such experiences. But it doesn't end there. Every person in this world has an 'aura', something that shows what they truly feel, not just what they show on the outside. These are their inner 'feelings', and they show the burdens you carry, the sorrow, the guilt, the envy, the pride, the happiness, every emotion possible is shown in the aura. Only a few can 'see' it.) (And Kretcher is one of those few?) (Exactly.) I looked around for something that had an aura, and spied a rabbit. Its aura was dark blue and brown. I explained the colors to Sharpclaw. (The aura's have a true color, the color that you are born into this word with. It is the color closest to you, so this bunny here would be dark blue. The outer color is a mix of what you feel. If I look close enough, I can 'see' in my mind what their feelings are. But that takes a lot of time and effort, and I don't do it often.) (Do you use this all of the time?) Sharpclaw asked with scientific curiosity. (No, I can 'turn it off'. It's a mental twist that I do. It does become rather annoying seeing someone's true feelings and intentions.) (What color am I?) Sharpclaw asked. I did a mental twist and looked inside at him. (Hmmm. A pale sky blue color, with a hint of green.) (It can be several colors?) He asked, surprised.

"Yup." I said aloud, standing up and leaning backwards, popping my back. I looked at my clothes. The long sleeved dress-shirt was dirty, and my miniskirt had quite obviously seen better days. It was also too hot. I decided to buy new clothes before anything else. I looked around for a clothing store. Billy sighed. (Really, Kretcher? Clothes?) I scowled and replied, (_You're_ not the one who has to walk around in these mister fussy, so don't argue.) (But it's _boring_) He whined. I mentally shut him up. He made a little wave of annoyance and started to pout. Sharpclaw and I chuckled as I made my way farther into the town.

I finally reached a clothing shop, and came out a few minutes later, with very much the same clothes on, except I had ripped the sleeves off of the dress shirt and people could now see my tattoo and arm bands.

'_Now. Where was that presence again?_' I thought. (Around that mansion.) Billy said. I sent a wave of anger and annoyance. (Don't butt into my private thinking space! I don't butt into yours!) (No. I'm your father-like spirit. I deserve to know what boys you like so I can beat them up.) He had steeled his words with stubbornness. (…) I put up several walls in between my personal thought space and the thinking space where the mind-speak was. Billy chuckled. He and I both knew that I wouldn't keep the walls there for long, and that he had only intruded as payback for earlier. (I can crush on whomever I want thanks.) I mentally turned my nose up at him and sniffed. (So you have a crush then?) asked Sharpclaw, who had been watching us banter back and forth with great amusement. (Nope.) I answered. (No interest right now. Had one in the past. Didn't work out too well.) Unbidden, flashes of memory passed through my thoughts. Burning houses, screaming people, a group of purple haired people hanging from their neck on ropes. I shook my head, banishing those memories back to that dark corner of my mind.

"I'm going to that presence now." I said aloud, shattering the silence that I had grown to hate in the few weeks I had been with my beloved crew. I started running towards the mansion.

5 minutes later

I arrived at the mansion, and, seeing no way in through the front gate except climbing, I decided to walk around the perimeter to see if there was another, easier way in. I was in luck. There was a hole in the shape of a square cut out of the hedge. I peered through, just in time to see Usopp punch a stuck up looking guy in glasses on the face. A window behind them revealed a fragile looking girl, around my age. She looked shocked. I looked around some more and saw Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and the three kids. They looked at the flying man with glasses with something close to contempt. Well, Luffy and Zoro did. The three kids screamed and Nami looked almost as shocked as the fragile looking girl. I decided not to go in. The man in glasses gave me a bad feeling, almost identical to the presence I had been sensing. The man was shouting something, but Usopp shouted so loud that I could hear him clearly.

"SHUT UP! I'M PROUD THAT MY DAD WAS A PIRATE! I'M PROUD HE WAS A BRAVE WARRIOR OF THE SEA!" I blinked at this new information. His dad was a pirate? He went on.

"YOU'RE RIGHT THAT I LIKE TO LIE! BUT I'M PROUD THAT I HAVE PIRATE'S BLOOD IN ME! I DON'T HAVE TO PRETEND THAT I'M NOT." I did a mental twist. His aura almost sang with the truth that he was saying, and it almost blinded me. His color was Yellow with a dash of Red. Interesting. He yelled out his final declaration.

"I AM THE SON OF A PIRATE!" Luffy looked like he remembered something. He spoke in a normal voice, so I couldn't hear him. I turned off my aura vision. I didn't need it at that moment. I looked at the man in glasses, and frowned at him. I had seen him somewhere before. I let Billy and Sharpclaw look through my eyes. They both looked at him for a moment, analyzing. (I do not meddle in human affairs, but I have seen…what do you call them…bounty hunters? I think they were talking amongst themselves about some…Captain…Kuro? He looks very much like the picture they held.) Sharpclaw said. (I lived too long ago.) Billy told me. (Old man.) I said, and watched gleefully as he sputtered and glared. I chuckled and then shrugged. (If he is this Captain Kuro, then I wonder what he did with his ship.) That stopped Billy's whiney fit. ( I wonder…) he murmered, speculating on something. I waited, counting silently. 3…2…1…(GOT IT!) he roared in my head. I mentally nodded to him to go on. (Remember three years ago? There was this big declaration that the infamous Captain Kuro was finally dead?) I mentally nodded, while Sharpclaw sent forth a wave of confusion. ( I do not know this.) He said. I gave him a mental rundown on all the foul affairs that Captain Kuro was supposedly in charge of. Billy went on. (Get this. Only _he_ was found. Not his ship, not his crew, just _him_. What if that Captain Kuro was a fake? I mean, he _was_ infamous for his plans.) I stood up, turned away from the hedge, and started walking. There was a new presence approaching. One similar to Captain Kuro.

"If he is, I think that we'll have a lot of fighting ahead of us. I think I am strong enough now to handle 'fight' and 'flight'." They both nodded. I walked into the woods, hoping that it would be a faster way to the shore.

An hour later

I finally saw the edge of the woods. The veins in my forehead bulged.

"Stupid woods…stupid tree roots…stupid bushes…" I grumbled, a little worse for wear. As I emerged, I saw Luffy and Usopp on the ground in front of a cliff. They were talking, so I halted and didn't move any further, not wanting to intrude on their conversation. Suddenly, just as Luffy pointed at something below the cliff, the presence I had been feeling the whole time we were at the Island doubled, and I nearly buckled over with the weight of it. Waves of black were rolling up the cliff. (Wow. That it one _big_ aura.) Said Billy, sounding both impressed and disgusted at the same time. I gagged, then sat down and put my head in between my legs, and twisted my vision so that I wouldn't see it. That done, I shakily crawled out and greeted Luffy and Usopp. Luffy didn't seem too surprised to see me, though Usopp was whisper-screaming that I moved like a ghost. I peered over the edge, and saw Captain Kuro and a weirdo in heart shaped sunglasses facing each other. Still feeling a little ill, I tried to focus only one what the two were saying.

"Jango, I told you not to attract the attention of the villagers. But you slept in the middle of the street?" Captain Kuro said. I fancied for a moment that he was scolding this 'Jango' person.

"Do not be stupid. I didn't attract any attention, and I'm not weird either." A bead of sweat dropped down my head.

"You have everything planned, right?" Kuro said, adjusting his glasses with the palm of his hand.

"Sure. I can begin the plan to murder that mansion's owner anytime." I gasped along with Usopp and Luffy.

'_MURDER?_'

**Aaaaaand, that's it for this chapter! I hope you liked it! This was fun for me! A really big shout out to DBZGirl182 for sending me such awesome reviews! She has a really awesome fanfic for One Piece going on, and it's reeeeaaaaally great! I love it! Don't forget to check that one out too~! Next chapter there'll be some fighting, I promise. Loves and Kisses! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Ureshiitamago: WAAAAAAAAAAH! I had wanted to update three chapters this weekend… I'm going to have to stick with 1 or 2…sowwy. Don't kill me! *Pleading face*I promise that it'll be a long one!**

**Kretcher: *Murderous aura*…*Takes out knife***

**Ureshiitamago: GAAAAAAAAH! YOU AREN'T LIKE THIS WHEN I WRITE YOU INTO THE FANFIC! *sobs dramatically* WHYYYYYY?**

**Kretcher: *Turns murderous aura to readers, then suddenly turns it off and smiles* This stupid &*^% of a writer doesn't own One Piece, if she did, she would properly update for every day she doesn't have school. She does, unfortunately for her, own me and any other OC's or OI's (original Islands) that appear. **

**Ureshiitamago: *dies from stress***

**Luffy: Skelly…you're scary sometimes…don't forget to R&R. **

**Ureshiitamago: *Returns to life* I forgot something. I might be writing another One Piece fanfic, except with OCxSanji. I would like anyone interested in this to PM me. Ok, that done, moving on. **

Last time, on Spirit Contract:

_I gagged, then sat down and put my head in between my legs, and twisted my vision so that I wouldn't see it. That done, I shakily crawled out and greeted Luffy and Usopp. Luffy didn't seem too surprised to see me, though Usopp was whisper-screaming that I moved like a ghost. I peered over the edge, and saw Captain Kuro and a weirdo in heart shaped sunglasses facing each other. Still feeling a little ill, I tried to focus only one what the two were saying. _

_ "__Jango, I told you not to attract the attention of the villagers. But you slept in the middle of the street?" Captain Kuro said. I fancied for a moment that he was scolding this 'Jango' person. _

_ "__Do not be stupid. I didn't attract any attention, and I'm not weird either." A bead of sweat dropped down my head. _

_ "__You have everything planned, right?" Kuro said, adjusting his glasses with the palm of his hand. _

_ "__Sure. I can begin the plan to murder that mansion's owner anytime." I gasped along with Usopp and Luffy. _

'MURDER?'

Chapter 6: Calculations and Liars

Captain Kuro pushed his glasses up with his palm again, making me shudder. Again.

"Don't use the word 'murder'." He said in a silky voice. He was really starting to get on my nerves… "I think it's too strong of a word, Jango." I shuddered. As much as he was getting on my nerves, I didn't want to meet this guy in a dark alleyway.

I should say that it's an 'accident' right? Captain Kuro." It was the weirdo. I thought he sounded like a pervert. Captain Kuro's aura came back in full strength, and I almost retched. Luffy looked over at me in concern, and I waved him off, pointing at the people below, then to my ear, signifying that I wanted to listen to them. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him nod. Thinking that he got my message, I looked back at the men below.

"Captain Kuro? I got rid of that name 3 years ago. Stop calling me by that name." Said Captain Kuro. "Besides. _You_ are the captain now." Next to me, Luffy said, in a confused voice,

"Hey, What are they saying?" He was looking at Usopp, but I answered instead.

"That guy in the round glasses wants to murder the girl who lives in the mansion, and the weirdo in the heart-shaped sunglasses is going to do his dirty work for him. And no, I don't know why yet." I didn't mention what Captain Kuro's name was, and was going to do so, but Usopp beat me to it.

"Wait! I've heard the name 'Captain Kuro' before!" He said, starting to look a little spooked. "Captain Kuro is a very famous pirate who invaded many towns. But I heard that the Marines arrested and executed him many years ago." He said, sweat starting to form on the side of his face. I hushed them, and pointed back at the men.

"I think we're going to get an explanation." I said. Weirdo was talking.

"I was surprised when that happened." He said. Kuro looked confused, so he elaborated.

"When you told me that you wanted to quit the pirate's life, and you suddenly made me the Captain." He was doing a little dance. He turned his back to Kuro, and pointed both of his thumbs down. "Everyone thought that Captain Kuro was executed, but you were alive and arrived at this village secretly." He sat down on a rock, and continued. "When I learned your plan, I thought that you would succeed and I decided to help you. I think that you will give me some good money in return."

"Yes. If the plan is successful, I will give you a big reward." Kuro said.

"Leave the murdering part to me." Replied Weirdo. Kuro held out his hand to the side.

"The problem isn't about killing her, but making it look as though she died of illness." Kuro said. I shivered, pitying the poor girl in that lonely mansion. "I don't think you understand the plan clearly." Weirdo shook his head.

"I understand our plan completely. If I invade the village with my crew and kill that girl, it will be easier for us." He said, jabbing his finger in the air as if to prove a point. "And you can inherit all of her money." I finally understood what they were after. I wrinkled my nose in contempt. Why did people always go gaga over money? I didn't understand. (They just didn't go through what you did.) Billy told me. I sighed. (Billy, stay out of my thinking space…) but my threat was halfhearted. To my surprise, he retreated. I returned to the conversation.

"…would let a person outside of the family inherit all of their money?" I felt a little annoyed that I had missed some of the conversation.

"Then how are you going to get her treasure?" asked Weirdo.

"How? Listen to me, this is the most important part." Kuro said, suddenly tense.

"Before you kill her, you have to hypnotize her to write a will. She has to write, 'I give all of my treasure to Kurahador.'" I heard a gasp next to me and looked over. Usopp's eyes were wide, and he looked positively horrified. I scooted under a brush that was nearby, just in case the two of them decided to do something stupid. Finally safe, I turned back to the conversation on the beach. It was incredibly important information, just in case we were going to become involved, which, knowing Luffy, was a distinct possibility.

"And then I will have the right to inherit all of the treasure. I spent these 3 years building a good reputation with the villagers, and they trust me. When this happens, no one will be suspicious." I felt a little admiration for how long he had been planning for. Weirdo spoke up.

"That's why you spent 3 years as a servant in that mansion. If I were you, I would invade the mansion and take everything." A sweatdrop ran down my head. _That's very pirate-like_ I thought to myself. (Well, they _are_ pirates.) Said Billy in a matter-of-fact voice. (You can't really blame them.) I shook my head in mild amusement and tuned back to the outside world.

"…would be chased by the marines." I had missed another part of the conversation. "I want to get money without any chasing from the marines, which means that I am a peaceful person." Weirdo started laughing.

"Peaceful? Hahahaha! For your own peace, you'll kill everyone in that mansion?" Kuro looked only very slightly offended.

"Hey, hey, I didn't kill _everyone_. Kaya's parents died in an accident. Even I did not expect that." He said.

"Anyway," Weirdo changed the subject. "just give me the sign when you're ready. Our ship has landed on the coast close to here for more than a week. They've begun to get thirsty for blood." I cringed, _that_ certainly had an ominous ring to it. Beside me, Luffy and Usopp looked at the two men in silence. Suddenly, Usopp started whisper-yelling, and I slid farther into the bush.

"We've overheard some big trouble." Luffy pouted, looking very confused.

"It's starting to smell fishy…what's going on?" I sweatdropped as Usopp whisper-yelled at him.

"Didn't you listen? It's very very terrible! They're real pirates!" _Oi oi._ I thought. _And we're not?_ Usopp seemed to be having some kind of mental conflict, then he said in a very shaky voice,

"They'll kill Kaya, and invade the village." I shrank even farther into my bush that I had now named 'Mr. hidey-place' as Luffy stood up with a determined look on his face. Usopp was still mumbling, totally not getting what Luffy was about to do. As I thought, he was going to be the knight in shining armor. Figuratively, anyway.

"HEY YOU!" He shouted. "DON'T KILL THAT GIRL!" I agreed with him, but didn't want to show myself. The two on the ground looked momentarily panicked that they were found out. Usopp, being an extremely stupid fellow, tried to make Luffy lie down again, but only served to put himself into view.

"Oh. It's Usopp" Said Kuro.

"AAH! THEY SEE ME TOO?" He shouted. _Baka_ I thought. (I agree with you completely.) Billy and Sharpclaw said at the same time. (Kretcher, are you going to stand up too?) Asked Sharpclaw. (No.) I answered. (Because I would like for them not to know that there is one more person who knows of their plans. I think Luffy knows that too, that's why he hasn't looked at me.) I mind-said. Billy sent a wave of unbelief. (Luffy? Know something? I put my trust in him to keep you safe because he seems like the kind of guy who doesn't go back on his promises, but I seriously doubt that there is anything inside of that brain except for meat, meat, meat, adventure, meat, meat, me-) (Ok, ok! I get it.) I held imaginary hands to Billy's mouth to stop the flow of words. (I agree with Billy.) Sharpclaw said. (But,) he added, before I could pretest, (Every living being, no matter who they are, what they are, or what they do, has something inside of them. That something can show throughout whatever they do and say, or, in the case of Luffy, it can lie dormant, just under everything he says and does, until it's really needed. That is when we will see what he is truly capable of.) Both Billy and I were silent for a while, humbled by Sharpclaws' speech. I silently agreed, then tuned them out and returned to the real world just in time to see Luffy, falling off of the cliff.

I almost screamed, but remembered, just before I rushed out to grab him, that he was a rubber-man, and would be just fine. I chuckled to myself. _Imagine forgetting that the captain of the crew that you're on is made of rubber…_ I thought. I looked over at Usopp, who was staring, horrified, at Luffy's body below. _Oh._ I thought. _He must not know that Luffy's made of rubber….I guess I'll tell him later._

"Should I kill the other one?" Asked Weirdo. I tensed, ready to run out and slam Usopp into the ground if I had to. I didn't need to.

"That's not necessary." Kuro said, rather bluntly. "Even if he tells everyone, no one will believe him." I looked back over at Usopp. He looked aghast at what Kuro had said. Said person went on.

"Tomorrow morning, Jango. You and your crew should invade the village early in the morning. Don't be too hard on the villagers. Make it look like an accident, then finish Miss Kaya." Usopp let out an exclamation.

"You heard me, Usopp." Kuro said, turning to the long-nosed man standing next to me. "Even though you heard my plan, it will not affect me at all."

"D-DAMNIT!" Usopp shouted, and then ran off screaming. Luffy was still snoring on the ground.

"Is it ok?" Weirdo said.

"Sure. My plan will work." Kuro answered. Realizing it was over, I carefully backed away until I was well into the tree line, and then I turned and followed Usopp's erratic path through the forest into the village.

5 minutes later

I finally reached the village, huffing and puffing. I fully expected to somehow transform into the big bad wolf and start tearing down pigsty's. Usopp had been faster than I had expected, but I was fast enough to catch up [kind of] to him by the time we reached Zoro, Nami, and the three kids I had dumped water on. Usopp was yelling about pirates. I collapsed next to Nami, clutching my chest in an attempt to keep my heart and lungs in their proper places. Nami and Zoro looked at me expectantly. Zoro opened his mouth, but I shook my head, then waved for them to follow me.

10 minutes later

Luffy had brought them up to speed as I lay against the cliff, recovering from trying to keep up with Usopp. (Are you okay?) Billy asked worriedly. I gave him a mental thumbs up. Finally recovered, I stood up and walked over to the others. Nami looked at me, concern on her face.

"Are you ok, Kretcher?" She asked. I gave her a grin and a thumbs up.

"Hey, Skelly! Are you sure? Because you looked a little sick up there." Luffy said. I looked at him. He could be sharp sometimes. I waved it off.

"I'm fine. That's just what happens when I meet someone with murderous intent. It's a bad reminder of something in my past. But that's done and over with. Let's stick to the present." Luffy and Zoro frowned at me, while Nami looked at me oddly. Zoro, to my relief, abruptly changed the subject.

"So," he said to Luffy. "why were you sleeping down here?" Luffy cocked his head to the side.

"That's…I _think_ I was standing on the cliff…" The children started shouting. I was just staring at Luffy, wondering how he could've forgotten that he was hypnotized into sleeping. Nami crossed her arms.

"That's why your captain was running to the village. It's good that you knew this before it happened. If you can escape now, you'll be safe. These enemies are very stupid." I quietly shook my head at the naiveté of her remark. Kuro had thought out the pro's and con's of Usopp knowing his plan, and had trusted in his own positive reputation among the villagers to disregard whatever Usopp said. Captain Kuro was devious. The kids ran off to pack.

"GEE!" Luffy exclaimed, looking panicked. Zoro, Nami, and I looked at him.

"What?" Zoro asked.

"We better hurry and buy some food, otherwise the butcher will run away too!" I giggled at his train of thought, though my mouth salivated at the mere mention of food. We walked off after the kids, though I had a feeling of déjà vu over what I thought was going to happen. Scenery flashed through my mind, the broken houses, the burnt bodies, the hanging purple haired family, the men that did it. _I swear I won't let something like _that_ happen again._ I said to myself. (I'll help you.) Said Billy. (As will I.) Added Sharpclaw. They both sounded serious. I steeled myself so I wouldn't cry. (…thank you.) I said to them. Somehow, I had managed to keep my face that I showed to the world light and happy looking. Hopefully, my crewmates, _family_, I corrected myself, wouldn't be dragged into my biological families mess.

**3****rd**** Person POV**

Luffy looked at Skelly. Even though the conversations with her spirits were supposed to go on in her head, Luffy heard them. They were quiet, but they were there. While they were walking, he had seen some small flashes of a different place, and then her resolve to not let anything like that happen again. Luffy wondered what exactly had happened to her to make her that spooked about pirates invading a village. He shrugged. It's not like it was any of his business…at least until they were done beating up the bad guys, and eating meat. Now sidetracked by the thought of meat, he turned away from Skelly and licked his lips as he imagined meat on a bone.

Zoro walked slowly behind Skeleton, trying not to stare holes in the back of her head. His first impression of her had been kind of like Luffys'. Irritatingly happy. Now, though, he wasn't too sure. She had said that the thing that had been bothering her was in the past, but he wondered about that. Just because she _said_ that it was all in the past didn't mean that it was. Zoro looked at Luffy. He was drooling, and staring off into space. Knowing him, he was probably thinking about meat, meat, and more meat. He was probably also going to ask Skeleton about her past. There was no doubt that she would tell him, after all, Luffy had gotten Zoro to talk about _his_ past, and if Zoro talked, so would anyone else. Zoro decided not to dwell on that subject any longer; it was too taxing on his mind. Instead, he started thinking about his katana, and Sake.

Nami outright glared at Kretcher. Well, ok, she _kind of_ glared at her. And it wasn't really a glare either, more of a look of intense curiosity. What Kretcher had said to Luffy at the beach sounded terrifyingly like _her_ predicament. She wondered if the same thing had happened to Kretcher for a split second, and then dismissed that idea. If it _had_, Kretcher still wouldn't be as thin as she was…not all people were like _that_. It must've been something else. That decided, Nami thought of a way to keep out of the fighting while claiming all of the Beri for herself.

**Kretcher's POV**

While I was walking with my crew, I kept on feeling three separate glares coming from my three crewmates. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, I shifted a little while I was walking, and did a mental twist so I could talk with Billy and Sharpclaw while still able to hear and comprehend the world around me. It took a little bit more power than I would've liked, but I wouldn't be missing any conversation this way. (I wonder why they keep on staring at me…) I murmured to them. (Maybe they _like_ you!) chortled Sharpclaw. Billy broke in, very intense. (Don't even _joke_ about that!) he ordered. (She's too young!) They argued back and forth while I watched, very amused. Ahead of us, I noticed someone ahead of us. It was Usopp, and he was wiping his eyes on his arm. He raised his hand in welcome.

"It's you!" he said. (Bet you anything that he's about to tell the kids that everything that was said before was a lie.) Billy remarked. (I agree.) Said Sharpclaw. I gave them a mental wave of agreement as I looked at Usopp. He was staring at Luffy in shock.

"What? You're not dead?" I felt some amusement mixed with pity. He hadn't known that Luffy was rubber, so he had assumed that Luffy had died.

"Dead? No, I just woke up." The face that Usopp made was extremely funny, and it took all of my willpower to keep a straight face. It didn't really help that Billy kept on saying; (Don't laugh! Don't laugh!) I mentally punched him on the arm.

"WE HAVE TO HURRY AND TELL EVERYONE ABOUT THE PIRATES!" yelled one of the kids. I saw Usopp's face fall, and immediately knew that he had already tried.

"Tell everyone?...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" I jumped as he started laughing. It sounded like it was forced. (That's because it is.) murmured Sharpclaw. (Look at his eyes. Eyes never lie.) I looked. They seemed frantic, like he was trying hard to do something. (Like keep the little one's out of trouble.) Said Billy. I nodded mentally to him. I noticed Usopp was hiding an arm behind his back. I didn't say anything. If he was hiding it, he didn't want the kids to see it.

"You should know I was lying again!" he laughed. "I just hate that caretaker, so I made up a story about him being a pirate!" I looked at Luffy out of the corner of my eye, then the kids. They were looking at Usopp. I waved my hand slightly to get my crewmates and captain's attention. When they looked at me, I held a finger to my lips. _Don't say a word._ They didn't. The kids became angry at their captain, saying that they didn't like him making up stories about anyone. When they left, we looked at Usopp, then walked to the beach slowly with him.

Later that night

"Because I am a liar, no one will believe my story." Usopp said, sitting on a rock, his head hanging, dejected.

"But the truth is still the truth, those pirates are going to come, right?" Nami asked. I was standing a little ways away, listening.

"I think so…but everyone thinks that it's a lie, that tomorrow will be a peaceful day." Usopp said, lifting his head up, and looking at us, eyes serious. He stood up and clenched his hand. "SO I'LL WAIT FOR THEM HERE!" he yelled. "II'LL MAKE THIS TRUTH BECOME A LIE! THEY'LL THINK THAT TOMORROW WILL BE ANOTHER PEACEFULL DAY FOR THEM!" I looked at him, impressed. My first impression of him had been that he was a coward and a liar. But out of cowardice builds bravery.

"I got shot in the arm, I was chased by the villagers, but it is my village, and I will protect it. I love this village, and want to protect everyone. I can't stand it. All of them being killed without knowing anything." He had his head in his hands, and was crying silently. I looked at Luffy, Zoro, and Nami.

"You are a good person after all." Said Zoro. "You think that you'll have to fight alone? Without the help from those kids?" I grinned at his speech and at Luffy, who had started warming up his punching arm.

"We will help you too!" Luffy exclaimed. I laughed.

"I think I'll be of some help this time 'round!" I said, grinning.

"Hey, the treasure is all mine you know." Nami said, making an I-want-money gesture with her hand. Usopp looked at us in surprise.

"Eh?"

**Wow! That took a long time! I hope you like the little peep into Kretchers' past! This chapter and the last had some depressing scenes in them, and if you didn't like it, I apologize, but even when I was just imagining Kretcher 4 years ago, her past was messed up. Not to Robin's extent, but pretty close. Well, I hope you liked it! Again, give me feedback on this one, and then please PM me on your opinions on the OCxSanji I'm thinking of writing! Adeu!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ureshiitamago: !Oh my god! I'm updating on a weekday! The world is going to end…NOT! ****J****Hello my pretties! I am actually updating on a weekday because I have something to do on Sunday, so I can't update when I usually do. Weell…I'm also updating on Saturday…****J**

**Kretcher: Shut up and write my story.**

**Ureshiitamago:O.o …**

**Kretcher: I finally get to FIGHT this time! Let me at 'em!**

**Ureshiitamago:…I didn't think that you were this bloodthirsty…**

**Kretcher: Evidently, even you, the writer, do not know me :D **

**Ureshiitamago: but I own you! Ah, I do not own the world of One Piece, that honor belongs to the beloved Oda! (curses) [of course, I do own Kretcher…and any OCs that appear…and any OIs that appear…]**

_"__I got shot in the arm, I was chased by the villagers, but it is my village, and I will protect it. I love this village, and want to protect everyone. I can't stand it. All of them being killed without knowing anything." He had his head in his hands, and was crying silently. I looked at Luffy, Zoro, and Nami._

_"__You are a good person after all." Said Zoro. "You think that you'll have to fight alone? Without the help from those kids?" I grinned at his speech and at Luffy, who had started warming up his punching arm._

_"__We will help you too!" Luffy exclaimed. I laughed._

_"__I think I'll be of some help this time 'round!" I said, grinning. _

_"__Hey, the treasure is all mine you know." Nami said, making an I-want-money gesture with her hand. Usopp looked at us in surprise._

_"__Eh?"_

Chapter 7: A Half-Moon and a Cat

The waves smashed against the shoreline as Usopp stared at us in shock.

"You…will help _me_? Why?" He gasped, still in shock at our apparent urge to fight people he thought above our level.

"Your face tells us that you're scared." Luffy said, looking determined as he kept on warming up his punching arm.

"And there are too many enemies, right?" Zoro added, looking cool, standing with one hand on his hip, the other resting on his 3 swords.

"DON'T BE STUPID! YOU THINK I'M SCARED OF THEM!" shouted Usopp. He was very loud, and I covered my ears to muffle his noise. "…EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE MORE PEOPLE, I WILL NEVER BE AFRAID OF THEM! I AM CAPTAIN USOPP, THE GREATEST WARRIOR ON THE SEA!" _yeah, yeah. Shut up…_ I thought to myself, knowing full well that Billy and Sharpclaw could hear me. _You're making my ears hurt._ Billy and Sharpclaw chuckled, finding my pain amusing. (Shut up!) I snapped at them. (You guys aren't the ones that have to physically be near him while he yells like that!) They murmured in false sympathy.

"…!" Usopp was looking at his legs, which made me look too. A sweatdrop slid down the back of my head. His legs were shaking so badly, they were like castanets. Suddenly, he started hitting his legs.

"AH! HELL…STOP IT!" He shouted, pummeling his own legs with a vengeance. His jaw dropped down as he looked at us, his teeth became pointy, and his eyes bugged out comically.

"WHAT ARE YOU GUYS LOOKING AT? THEY ARE THE KUURO PIRATES, REMEMBER? EVERYONE MUST BE AFRAID OF THEM! YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?" We were staring at him, deadpan.

"…" After a silence, Zoro spoke up.

"That's why we'll lend you a hand." Zoro said, for once being absolutely truthful in what he said. "We didn't laugh at you, we think that you're good."

"!" Usopp looked choked up.

"I feel sympathy, not that I'll lay my life on the line to help you." Added Luffy. Usopp started to cry.

"!" *sniff* "You gu-guys!" he said, tears streaming down his face.

A little while later

Usopp was telling us about where the pirates would be coming from, and I listened, but I had an uneasy feeling, and it was emanating from the direction of Kayas' mansion.

"They will come to this coast.." he was saying, waving his hand in the direction of the road to the village to indicate the direction that they would probably take. "..because it leads directly to the village. This path is the only way, and it's surrounded by cliff faces." I became increasingly uneasy, and when Usopp turned his back to us as he continued to talk, I waved my hand at Luffy, effectively gaining his attention. I pointed to me, and then back the way we had come. He looked at me for a moment before nodding, and grinning. I smiled at him, Zoro, and Nami before running off.

**3****rd**** person POV**

"Hey," Usopp said, turning around. "Where's that girl? What was her name?...Kretcher?" He turned to Luffy with a frown on his face. "Has she chickened out?" Wrong thing to say. Luffy and Zoro stared daggers at him. This lasted about 2 minutes until Luffy replied.

"Skelly would never run away from a fight. I haven't seen her fight yet, but she's strong, I can tell. She's just gone somewhere because she had a bad feeling about something, so she went to check it out. She's probably saving our butts right now." Usopp stared at the strawhatted boy in confusion and amazement. This was a captain that would stand up for his crewmates, even if he had never seen her fight before. His moment of speechlessness over, he went on to explain more about the plan.

"What are your skills?" He asked.

"Stretching" Luffy said

"cutting" said Zoro

"stealing." Said Nami, she paused for a moment, then added, "Kretcher is good with spirits."

_How will spirits help?_ Thought Usopp skeptically. **[A/N stupid Usopp…*chuckle of amusement*]**

"My skill is hiding…" Usopp said

"YOU HAVE TO FIGHT TOO!" Shouted Nami, Luffy, and Zoro at the same time.

**Kretcher's POV**

I arrived at the mansion after 5 minutes of intense workout {running}. Before stepping out of the trees, I calmed my breath so that I wouldn't be heard when I played 'peeping tom' under the window.(That's not very flattering…) remarked Billy. (I agree. Pick a more respectable name for it.) Sharpclaw said, putting down his reptilian foot. (Fine. How about…sneaking?) They thought about it for a moment. (Okay.) Said Sharpclaw. (Alright with me.) remarked Billy.

That decided, I sneaked over to the window and sat just under it, tweaking my ear so that I could hear what was going on inside of the mansion.

"How is Miss Kaya?" a shiver ran down my spine. It was Captian Kuro's voice.

"She's taking a rest. I think she's very tired." This time it was a voice that I didn't know, but he sounded very nice. I felt very sorry for him, because I thought I knew what Kuro was going to do. (Should we try to stop him?) I asked Billy and Sharpclaw, flexing my hands in preparation for smashing the window.

"Did something happen while I was out of town?" Kuro asked. (I'm all for it. Don't forget to cover your hand with cloth so you don't cut yourself. (Got it.) I said, pulling out a piece of cloth from my miniskirt pocket. I wrapped it around my left hand several times. (I think that it would be a great idea to attack that horrid human before he kills the other, nicer sounding one.) commented Sharpclaw, sounding uncharacteristically bloodthirsty. I grinned, and slowly, inch by inch, stood up.

"That Usopp is really bad." Commented the nice sounding guy, and I hesitated for a minute, wondering if he was on Kuro's side. What he said next dispelled my fears. "He said that you were a bad pirate. It's a very stupid joke." Kuro laughed hollowly in response. I grimaced, and decided to stay down until I actually heard him drawing his weapon.

"Eh? What is this?" Kuro said, and I turned my head slowly to peep over the window sill. Luckily, Kuro was facing a drawer, and although I could see him, since it was pitch black out here, and light in there, he couldn't see me. He had a gift-box in his hand, and was looking at it in undisguised disgust. As his back was turned to the man I had heard, who looked like a sheep, the man couldn't see Kuro's expression.

"Oh. That's a gift from Miss Kaya to you." The sheep-man said, lighting up like a light. I frowned, he was too naïve. "She told me that tomorrow would be the third anniversary of when you came to work here. It is a day to remember." Kuro looked thoughtful.

"A day to remember?" He repeated. I didn't like the look in his eyes. It was that of a starved wolf as it sighted its prey.

"Your glasses always fall of, so, Miss Kaya ordered a special pair for you, it was a very kind thing to do." Sheep-man was crying tears of joy. The aura around Kuro began to grow even more bloodthirsty.

"A day to remember. Tomorrow really will be a day to remember." He said in a menacing voice. Even Sheep-man could tell that something was up, and was slowly backing away from the growing presence. "Tonight. It's the half-moon tonight. It really makes me wild." I hesitated, wondering if I should attack him right now, or wait a while longer. (Wait a bit) ordered Billy. (I have a feeling.) (Ok.) I said. When Billy got a 'feeling', they were always accurate. I watched as the glasses case he was holding fell, as if in slow motion, onto the floor. Still in slow motion, Kuro lifted up his foot and crushed the glasses case. I gritted my teeth, this 'Kaya' person had went out of her way to buy those glasses for him and he crushed them. _Someone's gonna get it now!_ I thought.

"WHA…?" I had forgotten about Sheep-man. He was staring at Kuro in shock. (Is now a good time?) I asked Billy, impatient to save the sheep from himself. _Why don't you run?_ I thought. (A little longer…) Billy said. His mind-voice was strained from trying to keep back the murderous rage he felt towards Captain Kuro. My teeth creaked as I ground them together even tighter, but I waited.

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT? IT WAS A PRESENT TO YOU…!" Shouted the sheep-man. _Getoutoftheregetoutoftheregetoutofthere_. My thoughts were so scared for him that they were jumbling together.

"I will receive my present, but it will be this mansion, not these glasses!" Kuro said in a murderous voice. (NOW?) I screamed in my mind-voice, desperate to save the nice man who served Kaya with all his heart. (YEAH! LET'S GET 'IM!) Shouted Billy, Sharpclaw added his clans war cry. I smashed my hand through the window, causing the whole pane to shatter, and jumped through onto Kuro, who had just taken out his weapons and was threatening Sheep-man with them. I latched onto him and, borrowing Billy's strength, squeezed tightly. With my strength almost replentished, and Billy's strength, I heard several of his ribs crack. **[A/N: I don't care if he didn't have injuries when he was fighting Luffy. He isn't even going to fight Luffy(maybe) so chill.] **

Suddenly, I felt a huge surge of power underneath my arms, and Kuro broke free. He turned to me and slashed with swords that were attached to gloves. I jumped away, and immediately tapped Sharpclaws flying ability and flew towards Sheepman, and, picking him up, I threw him outside and started to attack Kuro again. I hit him, and slashed at him with my nails that I had turned into reptilian claws{thanks to Sharpclaw} and then darted away in the air. I gained small little scratches from his weapons, but left him bloody and bruised.

This game of cat and mouse{I highly suspected that I was the mouse} went on for a while before he started to sway in place. I stared at him in confusion. (Is he going to pass out?) I wondered to the other two. (I wonder about that…) murmured Sharpclaw, doubt worming into his sentence. (LOOK OUT!) Cried Billy, and I darted to the side, just nearly missing being cut in two by a blur of black. (WHAT THE &*^% WAS THAT?) I screamed, both inside my head, and, I suspect, out. I turned around. He was behind me, and staring at me with a smirk that just made me want to *&^%-slap that #*&%^$ ^&%$*# . **[A/N: Kretcher has a potty mouth when she fights, so, to keep it at the rating I want, I have done us all a favor and censored her. Also, this scene never happens in the books or Anime. If you don't like violence, please go back to the beginning chapter, or the next ones.]**

"Well, _you_ certainly are _interesting_, aren't you?" He purred, and I shivered. This cat was seriously creepy. "I must admit," he went on. "I have never seen someone fly, nor have I seen anyone with reptile claws." I was panting, and glaring at him with a murderous look. He looked at me smugly.

"I think I have won this battle." He said, and then, before I could stop him, he jumped out of the window. Too late, I remembered where I had thrown that blasted Sheep-man, and landed on the floor before slipping in blood and tripping over claw marks on my way to the window to see if he had been hurt. I peeped out of the window cautiously, and saw him on his back, with claw marks that had been raked down his front. He was breathing though, and that was the good thing.

"I bet that Kuro didn't even want to stop and check to see if he was dead." I said aloud. (Why did he leave you alive?) Asked Sharpclaw, his voice faint from lending me his powers. (I don't know.) I answered, honestly puzzled. I decided then and there that I would be the one to defeat him. (Why risk your life? Luffy'll knock him down a few pegs.) Said Billy. His voice was more exhausted than Sharpclaw's had been. I thought for a minute, then answered. (You know that saying, 'Fall seven times, stand up eight'?) I asked, then went on, not wanting an answer. (I consider this my seventh fall. I am standing up again.) The two of them were silent for a bit. (We'll help you.) Their voices were stronger than they had been before. I smiled into the twilight of dawn. (Thanks. But before we go after him, I want to move Sheep-man into the room. Sure, it'll be bad to move him, but if he's in plain sight of the road, the passers-by will know that something's up.) After a lot of tugging and pushing, he was inside. I turned around and slowly walked in the direction that I felt his presence from. As I walked, I said a poem. Poems usually calmed my nerves before a major fight.

_Company_

_Even if I thought I could fly,_

_By myself, without any help,_

_How lonely I would be_

_Without the company of those three_

_The ones whom I consider_

_To be family._

_Company is, and always will be,_

_Something that everybody_

_Secretly desires._

_Whether friend, _

_Or foe,_

_Or rock,_

_Or tree,_

_Everyone has a place to be._

_Gently, as I begin my descent,_

_From the sky to the ground,_

_I know that they will be looking for me,_

_And I, for one, can't wait to be found._

_Even if I thought I could fly,_

_By myself, without any help, _

_How lonely I would be_

_Without the company of those three_

_The ones whom I consider_

_To be family._

As I finished my poem, the sun was rising. I grinned, knowing that I would defeat the one who was said to be the most calculating of them all. _Hold out on him, you guys._ I thought as I ran faster. _I'll be there soon._

5 minutes later

I was running North, following a presence that I thought was Kuro's, but I couldn't be sure. Ahead of me, I saw two familiar backs. I grinned and called out to them.

"Luffy-san! Zoro-san!" They heard me, and slowed down, turning around as they did so. When they saw the state I was in, their jaws dropped.

"WAAAH! SOO MUCH BLOOD! SKELLY, ARE YOU OK?" screamed Luffy. I laughed at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said as I caught up to them. "I've had worse…I didn't win by the way…against Kuro…" Luffy was looking at me, waiting for something. Zoro was looking straight ahead as we ran, and had an unreadable expression on his face. I continued.

"I'm going to fight him seriously this time, and I _will_ beat him." I sounded extremely determined, even to myself. Luffy grinned at me.

"That's what I wanted to hear!" He said, and then added, in a more serious tone, "but I want you to know that if he does something to piss me off, and you're not fighting him yet, I'll beat him to a pulp." I grinned back at him

"Ok!" We laughed and ran on. Our laughter didn't last long, however, as we had arrived at the beach, and saw, to our horror, Usopp screaming at charging pirates, trying to stop them from reaching the village. His face was a mess of blood. I was going to step forward to help him, but Luffy and Zoro stepped in front of me.

"You need to save your strength for the butler." Zoro said, and then he and Luffy single handedly sent all of the attacking pirates back to where they had started. Nami looked at us reproachfully.

"You've come." She said, in a why-didn't-you-come-sooner tone of voice. The pirates down below started yelling at their captain.

"WHAT IS THIS CAPTAIN? WE NEVER KNEW THE VILLAGE HAD THESE KINDS OF PEOPLE!" Luffy and Zoro started walking to where the pirates were, looking menacing.

"NAMI! YOU REALLY ARE A PAIN! YOU STEPPED ON MY HEAD!" Zoro screamed at Nami. I sweatdropped. _ Is that the only reason why he came here?_ I thought, and then shook my head. Of course it wasn't.

"USOPP, NEXT TIME, YOU SHOULD TELL ME WHERE NORTH IS!" Luffy yelled. I felt a sense of comedic dread settle over me. I had known about Zoro's bad sense of direction…but even our captain? I shook my head again. No, after being with them for a few weeks, nothing could surprise me anymore.

**3****rd**** person POV**

Kaya's mansion

Kuro sat at the stairs to the mansion, looking at his wristwatch. After a few moments, he readjusted his glasses with both of his palms. The injuries he had sustained from that strange girl were many, but they weren't that deep, and he could live with a few broken ribs until he could get that will drawn up. His patience was running thin, and he readjusted his glasses with both palms again.

"Late." He muttered, glaring at the road in front of him. "Those idiots should realize what they will receive if they ruin my plan. Even so, they are still late." He stood up, and slipped his hands into his pockets.

"If they forget…" he started walking down the drive. "…I'll _kill_ them."

**Whooo! That ended on a scary note! I want to thank every one of the people who read! (Even those who don't R&R…) I really couldn't do this without all of you. Really. ****J****See you next chapter! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Ureshiitamago: woooo! 2 chapters! I love myself. *kisses biceps* I love you readers too! But I wont kiss you. That would be weird. Instead, I gift you with a new chapter! Disclaimer please.**

**Kretcher: Do it yourself.**

**Billy: I agree.**

**Ureshiitamago: *cries* I have NO control over my own OC'S!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece (though I would love it if I did…) I ****_do_**** however own Kretcher, Billy, and Sharpclaw, along with any other OC's that pop up (Spoiler, there ****_will_**** be another OC in their crew before Grand Line…but I'm not saying their name or gender!;)) Along with any OIs. (Original Island)**

**Kretcher&Billy: BACK TO THE FIGHT! *maniacal laughter***

**Ureshiitamago: …O.O**

_Kuro sat at the stairs to the mansion, looking at his wristwatch. After a few moments, he readjusted his glasses with both of his palms. The injuries he had sustained from that strange girl were many, but they weren't that deep, and he could live with a few broken ribs until he could get that will drawn up. His patience was running thin, and he readjusted his glasses with both palms again._

_ "__Late." He muttered, glaring at the road in front of him. "Those idiots should realize what they will receive if they ruin my plan. Even so, they are still late." He stood up, and slipped his hands into his pockets._

_ "__If they forget…" he started walking down the drive. "…I'll kill them."_

Chapter 8: Greatness and butt kicking

Usopp stared at Luffy and Zoro in disbelief.

"You are that strong?" He asked, and Luffy and Zoro nodded. I grinned at him.

"You're kidding, right? Why wouldn't the Captain and First Mate of this pirate crew be strong?" He looked at me, and his eyes widened even more at the state I was in.

"What happened to _you_?" He asked. I scratched my head, and then shrugged.

"I got in a tangle with some bushes." I said with a grin. Luffy and Zoro turned to me, a question in their eyes. I shook my head minutely. I was never one to worry people over things that had already happened, and besides, if I wasn't dizzy, I was fine. (Are you sure?) asked Billy, a little worry in his voice. (Yup.) They frowned slightly, all four of them, but didn't say anything. Instead, Luffy and Zoro turned back around. Nami looked at them, and then spoke.

"Geez. Why were you so late?" She asked, looking annoyed. Zoro reacted violently, yelling at her.

"THAT'S YOUR FAULT! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO PUSHED ME DOWN THE SLOPE!" I hid a giggle behind a cough. That explained why his clothes were oily and muddy. The look he gave me told me that he knew that the cough was a giggle, and I was going to pay for it later. Nami held up a hand, and flapped it dismissively.

"It was an accident. I couldn't help that. Besides, it was better for one of us to get out of there." Zoro looked at her in anger.

"THEN WHY DIDN'T _YOU_ BE THE PERSON WHO STAYED DOWN THERE?" Luffy was also yelling, but at Usopp.

"YOU ONLY SAID NORTH! HOW CAN I KNOW WHERE NORTH IS?"

"You ran off first, so I thought you knew…" Usopp said, a sweatdrop running down his head.

"DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT!" Yelled Luffy. My barely concealed giggles turned into roaring laughter. They all yelled at me.

"STOP LAUGHING!" They shouted. I waved my hand at them.

"S-sorry, s-s-sorry." I managed between guffaws. Meanwhile, the pirates were standing back up. I shut up immediately, and pointed down the slope we were standing on. Luffy looked and seemed surprised.

"They still want to fight? They're stubborn." He said, watching what they were doing carefully. I strained to hear them, found that I couldn't, then gave up, deciding to instead draw on the ground with one of the spiky things I had found on the ground. I was drawing a pentagram, a simple one. It was a circle with a star in the middle. It reminded me of something, and I fell into flashes of memories that I had buried.

_A man laughed, patting my head. _

_ "__Hey there _! It's been a while, hasn't it!" I gleefully hugged his leg with all of the strength in my 5 year old body. I stared up at the man who had the same hair and eyes as me._

_ "__I missed you daddy!"_

_I swung my legs as I sat on the railing. My 8__th__ birthday had been that day, and there were extravagant gifts, but the one present I had really wanted hadn't been there. Suddenly, a hand clamped onto my shoulder, and I was pulled back, and then tickled mercilessly on the balcony. I screamed in laughter and delight. My present had come. I threw my arms around the boy who looked like me, but was 2 years older._

_ "__Welcome back _oniisama!" The 10 year old laughed, and hugged me back._

_ "__Happy 8__th__ birthday _!"_

_I screamed in pain and fear, watching as my family hung dead, except for me. The earring in my left ear hummed, and someone appeared before me. _

_ "__I was once the captain of the guard for the _many years ago. I would like to help you. Will you become a Spirit Contractor?" I looked at him, shivering. My 10__th__ birthday had been that morning. I gripped the dress that had the character _愛 _on the_ _left side of the dress_. _I looked at the man. He looked like a fighter. _

_ "__Will I be able to stop something like this from happening to me ever again?" I asked. I really meant, 'can I not have a family so I don't go through this again?' He looked at me, sadly, and nodded. I thought for a moment. _

_ "__Ok." _

I shook myself out of my memories as Luffy roared. I looked up in time to see him charge at the pirates down below. I watched in great amusement as he ran to the pirates, then _past_ them. When he arrived at their ship, he gripped either side of the figurehead and I heard a crack. I started wiping the pentagram out of existence, not wanting to be sucked back into memories I had long since buried. I looked up at the commotion, and felt my gut twist, though I made sure to keep an amused smile on my face.

These three, four, had become like a family without me realizing. I needed to distance myself. (Maybe you don't.) Suggested Billy. He had seen my memories. (I do.) I said firmly. (I don't want them to die because I view them as family. You _know_ what happens when I do that.) He was silent for a moment. (Maybe this time will be different.) He said. I shook my head mentally. (I'm afraid that it won't, and I'm afraid that I'm afraid.) I told him. (_They_ don't want me to be happy, ever.) I shut him off before he could say anything else.

Luffy had the whole figurehead, and was wobbling slowly towards the pirates. I noticed that Usopp and Nami were no longer in front of me, and I turned around. They were behind me, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I turned around when I heard a huge **thunk**, and sweatdropped when I heard Luffy's snoring, and the figurehead lying on top of him. I stood up.

"Well," I said. "He seems to have finished them off."

"But he's laying under the figurehead!" exclaimed Usopp, aghast at how the rest of us were taking this predicament.

"Don't worry, he isn't dead." Said Zoro, a smirk on his face. "You had better take care of yourself first." I chuckled, not knowing if he was talking to Usopp or to me. I hoped it was Usopp. Suddenly, we heard shouting going on from the ship.

"Looks like there're more." I said, shading my eyes with my hand to see the ship better. "A fat cat, and a skinny cat." I added, scrunching my nose in disgust. I normally had nothing against cats, but these ones looked too much like humans for my taste. The pirates shouted something, which I actually heard. I turned to the others.

"The Nyan-bun brothers." I said. I received a few weird looks. I held my hands up in a self-defense gesture.

"Hey, _I_ didn't name 'em."

**3****rd**** person POV**

Kaya woke up with a gasp after a nightmare about Usopp killing her for insulting his father. She held her head as she sweated and her heart raced.

"I don't understand…*cough cough* Why did Usopp-san have to do that?" She flipped back her covers and slipped on her slippers, then she pulled a coat on over her night dress and walked out into the hallway.

"Kurahador?" She called, confused as to why she hadn't seen her butler yet. She arrived at the living room and knocked on the door. "Kurahador, are you there?" Not hearing anything from inside, she decided to peek in. She opened the door a crack. A smell rushed to greet her. It was sweet, and smelled like iron. She opened the door all the way, and then gasped, bringing her hands to her face. Merry was face down on the blood covered floor, a small puddle forming underneath him. There were claw marks on the walls, and dents, as if someone had punched them.

"ME-MERRY!" She screamed, her eyes frightened for her friend. She rushed over to him with no regard to the blood on the floor. She kneeled next to him and turned him over.

"WHAT HAPPENED MERRY? WAKE UP! DON'T DIE!" _Not more of my family!_ She thought. _Please God, don't take more of my family away from me!_ Tears rushed down her face, and she almost sobbed in relief as Merry coughed and tried to sit up. He lay back down after he failed to sit up.

"It is good that you are still safe, Miss Kaya!" He said while panting. Confusion rushed through Kaya.

"Still safe?" She asked. "…what are you going on about?"

"KURAHADOR!" The bleeding man exclaimed. He started to cry. "HE…TRIED TO KILL ME!" Kaya put her hands back over her mouth as she gasped in shock. Merry went on.

"I was saved…by a girl with purple hair…if she hadn't been there, I would be dead." Kaya barely heard him, still hung up on what he had said about Kurahador.

"What is this? Are you lying?" She asked, too shocked to think straight.

"HE IS A PIRATE!" Yelled Merry. Kaya gasped as she connected something in her head.

"So, what Usopp-san said yesterday is…" She couldn't finish her sentence, too angry at herself for not listening to Usopp. Merry finished the sentence for her.

"Yes, Usopp and the girl with purple hair were the only ones who knew about this, and they have tried hard to protect us." He indicated the punch marks in the wall. "The purple haired girl punched the walls, he slashed them when they were fighting." He took a deep breath.

"Usopp warned us. Even though no one believed him…we've been protecting the wrong person!" Kaya had a flashback of the day before, when Usopp had warned them about Kurahador. Merry was still talking.

"We chased the brave man who tried to protect us from the village, and even shot him!" Merry was crying freely, ashamed about what he had done. Kaya's tears started flowing again.

"Wha…..What have I done to him?" She gasped, horrified about her actions from the day before. Merry started to cough up blood.

"Merry!" She cried. "IS THERE ANYONE HERE?" She yelled into the empty mansion.

"Everyone left for vacation yesterday!" Merry said, and she looked at him in shock.

"WHAT?"

"Calm down." Merry said, and she stopped crying. "Nothing's happened yet, so you should calm down." After he had succeeded in {somewhat} calming her, he went on. "I saw Kurahador leave the mansion, he will go to the pirates and have them invade us. Not only us, but everyone in this village is in danger. If Kurahador's goal is the treasure, then just give it to him. It's not worth risking your life over." Kaya rubbed her eyes.

"Yes." She sniffed.

"Miss Kaya, you are the only person who can stop Kurahador now. Can you do that? It's not that hard to do at all." He said.

"…I've never thought of running away. I'll go talk to Kurahador." She said, determination in her eyes.

**Kretcher's POV**

Zoro was fighting the Nyan-Bun brothers with one sword. The others had been thrown away. The thin Nyan-Bun brother had thrown the two away, one of them being the white sword, the one that Zoro never let go of. When that had happened, I could feel the murderous aura explode off of Zoro, and I winced. The look on his face was murderous as well. _Note to self, never take Zoro's swords from him…ever…no matter how funny it may be…_ I thought to myself, already kind of pitying the Nyan-Bun brothers. Zoro's battle went from bad to worse. Without the other two swords, he was being badly beaten. I turned to the others, a question in my eyes. Nami looked at me and winced.

"Nami-san? You're a thief…" I said.

"Why can't _you_ do it?" She asked, though she had gotten up and was dusting off her skirt.

"I'm in plain sight, and I happen to be covered in blood." I pointed out. "I'm very hard to miss right now." She thought it over.

"But isn't he trying to keep us out of the battle?" She asked. Earlier, Usopp had shot at one of the brothers, but Zoro had saved Usopp from being beaten up by taking the lead ball instead. I nodded.

"Yeah, but I don't think that he will last much longer without his other swords." I said. She sighed.

"Fine, I'll go get them." She said, and then vaulted off of the bit of land that she and Usopp had been sitting on. Usopp moved to stand up as well, but I held my hand out to stop him as Nami rushed down the hill.

"Don't do it, Usopp-san. You're injured."

"Bu-"

"No buts." We watched as she made a beeline to the swords. Just as she almost was there, the Weirdo sliced her arm open with his ring-things. I was absorbed in watching and worrying for my companions that I hadn't felt Kuro's presence until he was at the top of the slope. I slowly turned around. He had bandaged up his wounds, but didn't look the worse for wear. I felt anger shiver up my spine at how arrogant he looked. Suddenly, he shouted.

"IT IS PAST DAWN, BUT MY PLAN STILL HAS NOT WORKED! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" The waves of menace that emanated from him almost overwhelmed me. He was going to do something, maybe to us, maybe to his own crew. I had to defeat him before that happened.

"Don't tell me that you've been stopped by these rats, Jango." Kuro said. "Have the Kuroneko pirates always been a bunch of weaklings like this?" There was no response. "ANSWER ME, JANGO!" He shouted, and all of us flinched.

"But, you told us that the kid wouldn't upset your plans, didn't you?" Jango asked, shaking in fear. I felt sorry for the poor guy for the span of a second.

"Yes, I told you." Kuro said. "So what? It really shouldn't be a problem for us, that this kid tries to stop us. You should know that, you just are weaker than I thought. I don't want to hear any more excuses." I stared at him. It was one thing to scold your crewmembers for being late, but quite another to call them weak. The two brothers attacked him, angry for him calling them weak. In a move that I could just barely follow, Kuro had his swords pointed at all of their vital points.

"5 minutes. If you can't defeat them in 5 minutes…I will kill everyone with my own hands." I felt a wave of murderous rage travel up my spine until I felt cold all over. He was threatening his own crew. _Despicable_. I thought, utterly disgusted in him. He let the two brothers go, and they immediately leapt at Zoro.

"ZORO! YOUR SWORDS!" Yelled Nami, kicking his swords to him.

"YOU KICKED MY SWORDS?" Zoro shouted.

"How about a thank you?" asked Nami, holding her injured shoulder. Zoro caught the swords and turned to the brothers.

"Thanks." He turned to them.

"Lion..**killing swords!**" He shouted, chopping up the opposing brothers. They dropped unconscious to the ground. He stood up and pointed one of his swords to Kuro.

"Don't worry. I'll defeat all of you in 5 minutes." I smiled. Good old Zoro, coming through like that when the going was rough.

"Try it if you dare." Kuro said. He looked furious. Suddenly, the fat Nyan-bun brother got up.

"He's still alive, I think that your swords are dull." Remarked Kuro. I turned my attention to Nami, who was running towards Luffy. She stomped on his head.

"WAKE UP DAMNIT!" She shouted. I gasped, Jango had thrown one of his rings at her.

"NAMI-SAN! WATCH OUT!" I yelled in panic, unfortunately gaining the attention from Kuro.

"Ah, so the interesting one is here too." He murmured. I dodged as he tried to spear me, and was able to see that Luffy had protected Nami unintentionally with his head. This was all I could glimpse before I was on the defense, dodging blow after blow that Kuro sent my way. He was very intent on killing me. I kept dodging until suddenly, he stopped, and turned around. There was the frail looking girl behind him.

"KURAHADOR!" She screamed. "STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!"

"KAYA!" Usopp shouted. "WHAT'RE YOU DOING HERE?" I was wondering the same thing.

"What a surprise, Miss Kaya, how come you're here?" Kuro asked, seemingly surprised that she was there. I narrowed my eyes at him. Underneath that façade was murderous intent.

"I heard everything from Merry." She said. I looked at her intently, urging her with my eyes to run. Unfortunately, telepathy doesn't work when you aren't a telepath, so I failed.

"Oh, so he's still alive. I thought that I had finished him." Kuro said, and I wanted to deck him right then and there. The poor girl's eyes widened in disbelief. She turned to Usopp.

"I'm sorry, Usopp-san." She said, looking sad. "Anyway, you won't forgive me, I didn't believe you when you said that Kurahador was a pirate." Usopp disregarded what she had said completely.

"DON'T WORRY ABOUT THAT NOW! WHY ARE YOU HERE? I TOLD YOU NOT TO RUN AWAY FROM THE VILLAGE, DO YOU REALIZE THEY WANT TO KILL YOU?" I shifted a little, and said mentally, (Get ready Sharpclaw. I want to switch forms.) (Are you sure you're up for it) asked Billy. He sounded a little worried. (If not now, when?) I asked him. He sighed. I looked at Usopp and Kaya. They seemed to be having a kind of lovers spat. Kaya turned to Kuro.

"If you want my treasure, I will give it to you! I will give it to you, but you'll have to leave this village!" I looked at Kuro. Even if he agreed with her, I would still attack him. He stayed silent for a moment, and then pushed his glasses up with his palm.

"You misunderstand me, Miss Kaya. I want your treasure, but I also want a 'peaceful life'. The villagers trusted me for three years. It became part of my peaceful life. My plan will succeed when I acquire both peace, and your treasure. So, the accident with pirates, and your will are the most important things in my plan." He said, and then readied himself for capturing her. I also readied myself, but then stopped when she held a gun out. It was pointed to Kuro.

"LEAVE THIS VILLAGE!" She ordered.

"You've become stronger during these three years." Kuro said, and, realizing what he was going to do, I readied myself for transformation. A strand of hair, a drop of blood, my breath, and my saliva.

Kuro talked to her about the past. She was trembling as he went on, and then dropped the gun.

"Everything I've done, wasn't for you, but today. The day that I kill you." I zoned out, able to see things, but not hear them. Usopp rushing forward to punch him. I started to tingle all over. A light shown from my skin as Kuro appeared behind Usopp, ready to slash him. He wasn't able to, however, because he had been picked up in the claws of a majestic Gryphyn, half eagle, half tiger. Kuro was thrown backwards, where he landed with a thunk. He lay there, winded. We turned our head, and looked at Usopp and Kaya. Behind us, we heard shouts, and we turned around. Behind us were the three kids, and they were attempting to pummel Kuro. Key word; attempting. Kuro lay there and took the hits, but we could tell that they were doing no damage. After a minute, they stopped, and pledged their loyalty to Usopp, who promptly told them to run. We were so engrossed in watching the four of them fight, that we didn't notice until it was too late. He had gotten up, and was moving towards Usopp. We gasped as he slashed Usopp across the chest. He looked at us.

"Interesting indeed." He remarked. We felt anger run down our spine, making us cold. He had just harmed one of our fami-crewmembers.

"Did you get that skill from a Devils fruit?" He asked us.

"…No." we replied. Our voice sounded like a mix of a man and woman.

"Ah, I see…then what are you?" He asked, pushing his glasses back up. "You didn't use this the last time we fought." We heard a gasp from Kaya, who was kneeling by Usopp.

"You were the one Merry was talking about?" She asked. We nodded our head to her, then turned to Kuro.

"We are angry." We said. He looked at us in almost-confusion.

"That is a strange way to talk." He remarked. We didn't bother to dignify him with an answer. This ability used both of our mental strength, but only to shift. After that, it was only powers that drained energy. We could physically fight for as long as our body held out.

"…Jango." Kuro said, then readied himself to fight us. "I'll kill this interesting person, you take care of Miss Kaya. Make sure that she writes the will according to our plan. After that, kill her. Ah, the 3 shrimps too."

"Roger." Said Jango. He started running to where Kaya was. Zoro stopped him, but then was attacked by a powered up fat cat. They started to fight.

"USOPP'S PIRATES!" Yelled Usopp, and we turned away from Zoro's fight to watch him.

"YOU HAVE TO PROTECT KAYA!" We felt admiration for him, along with no small amount of respect. He went on. "I would like to give you the most important task." He said. "You have to take Kaya to a safe place. DON'T TELL ME THAT YOU CANT DO IT! THIS IS A CAPTAINS ORDER!"

"ROGER!" The three yelled. They then pulled Kaya away and into the woods. Jango attempted to cut them down before they entered the forest, but Usopp shot one of his lead shots at him, and momentarily distracted him.

"JANGO! HURRY UP AND CATCH THEM!" Yelled Kuro.

"ROGER!" Jango yelled back, and then disappeared into the woods.

"She cannot escape from Jango." Remarked Kuro. "If you want to help her, you're going to have to get past us first." We looked at him with undisguised dislike.

"Happy to oblige." We said.

**[A/N: from here on, it's going to be an original scene until the end of her battle. Just thought you should know. ****J****]**

He dashed at us, again moving almost faster than we could track him, but we could still track him. We moved a fraction to the right, and his 'claws' sank into the Cliffside, taking off a chunk as he whipped back around.

"Those are pathetic excuses for claws." We scoffed, a touch annoyed that they were longer than our claws. They _were_ less sharp, however, and that made things a little better. He glared at us, but we felt no more fear.

"These claws aren't pathetic." He growled. "Anyway, why were-are you fighting me?" He asked.

"We want to help people." Was our response.

**[A/N: sorry if he's a bit OOC…This is the only way I could make this scene work…]**

We pawed at the ground with our hind feet, itching to fight. He flew at us again, but, to our surprise, he was much easier to follow. We leapt into the air and hovered there. As we predicted, he used the Cliffside to jump so that he was in midair with us. We grinned, a truly terrible sight to behold. {Have you _ever_ seen a grin on a beak? Terrifying.} Just as he pulled back his long claws to slash at us, we swatted him with our talons, sending him flying into the Cliffside.

**Slam!**

Chunks of rock fell around him as he stayed imprinted into the Cliffside. After much wiggling and cursing, he finally emerged, a murderous aura surrounding him like a cloak. We looked at him warily. He looked at us, and grinned sadistically.

"You want to help people?" He asked, then turned down the hill to where Nami, Luffy, and Kuro's crewmates were watching our seemingly one sided battle. His men had been cheering for us. "You want to help people?" He laughed quietly, and started to sway. We felt power come from him, and lunged, hoping to stop what was coming before it was too late. He disappeared just as we landed on the spot he had been. We turned quickly to see a blur of black moving at a very fast pace down the hillside. His crew were running for their ship, screaming. They were being cut down. We started shaking in anger.

"I'm faster than you." He crowed in our left ear. We turned quickly, but he wasn't there, and we heard a cry of pain from Nami. She was sitting down, holding her other shoulder. Likewise, Luffy was also sitting. He had a gash down his front, but he wasn't acting like it was a big deal. We growled deep in our throat as he continued to slash our family and his own crewmates. It sounded wild and feral, and, for a moment, he stopped and looked at us in something akin to fear. At that moment, we lunged, and hit him with our head, sending him slamming into the cliff face again. He made a bigger dent this time.

"Don't touch our family." We growled at him. "And killing your own crewmates is despicable." Our voice dripped with hatred and disgust. We heard a chuckle from him as he emerged from the hole. He started to sway again, but this time, we were ready for him. As he was flying past us, we slammed our talons onto him, pinning him to the ground. He was facing upwards, and looked at us with hatred and shock. He slashed upwards with one of his 'claws', and caught us across the chest. We simply ignored the wound and slashed our talons across both sets of 'claws'. Being inferior, they broke easily.

"So." He said, glaring at us. "I guess you're going to kill me." We looked at him, allowing the hatred to roll, undisguised, off of us. He gagged with the sheer amount.

"That would be a waste of our time." We said coolly. "You aren't worth us dirtying our claws over." Before he could ask what we meant, our eyes glowed, and his eyes closed. We snorted, then tossed him like a ragdoll to the surviving crew members.

"Take him and leave." We said, ice dripping from our voice. "If you so much as take a step towards the village, you are dead. Understand?" They gulped and nodded. Then they ran to the ship. We turned to Nami and Luffy, and walked over to them. As we walked over, we started shining.

I reached them, exhausted beyond question. I smiled at them.

"I beat him!" I said, before falling into their arms. I closed my eyes, and I knew no more.

The next day

I had woken up, refreshed. Looking around, I realized that I was on a bed. Confused, I pushed off the covers and stood up, reeling a bit as dizziness overtook me. I stumbled, and clutched the doorframe. (Are you ok?) Asked Billy, sounding extremely worried. (Fine and Dandy!) I said back, softening my mind-voice so he wouldn't worry as much. (Is Sharpclaw ok? The first transformation is always the most tiring.) Billy appeared in my minds-eye and examined me thoroughly. When he was satisfied that I had been telling the truth{almost} He responded. (He's still 'sleeping'. The transformation really took it out of 'im. Didn' help that you guys used magic to knock th' jerk out.) He was grumbling. When he grumbled, the accent of his youth showed itself. I giggled a little while I pit on me shoes, dizzy spell over. That's when I noticed the bandages. They were wrapped around my entire body, except for my head and upper left arm. I checked quickly, and was relieved to find that they hadn't taken off any of my jewelry. I looked at my left shoulder, seeing the character that I had tattooed there. 愛 . I stared at it, and remembered the day when I had had it tattooed there.

_I stared at the doctor in front of me, silently daring him to even try and stop my decision. He looked back at me, and then sighed in defeat. _

_"__Even if I argue, you're just going to go to someone else to have it done, aren't you?" I nodded. It had been a year since I had made a contract with Billy. I had used a new name in the contract, one I considered to be more appropriate than my old one was. I was going to erase my old self, but before I did that, I was going to tattoo the symbol I wanted onto my shoulder, to remind me of where I had come from, and to not repeat that same mistake. Family was a way people could hurt you without touching you. I didn't need a family anymore. _

_What's your name, young one?" He asked as he set the needle to my shoulder. _

_"__Kretcher." I answered. He looked at me oddly. I stared back at him, daring him to say anything. He turned back to his work._

_"__How old are you? I know that you're underage for this, but I would like to know by how much." He sounded worried. I softened a bit. He was old, and probably had grandchildren that were my age._

_"__11." I told him. He continued working on my arm in silence. When he finished, I looked at him for a minute, then hugged him._

_"__Thank you." I said, and meant it. I left a bag of coins that was by far more than he would've asked for, and left town. (I liked your old name.) Billy said, teasingly. I looked up at the night sky. (_is gone now. Kretcher is stronger, physically and mentally. _wouldn't have lasted a second in there.) Billy said nothing. (The stars are pretty.) I remarked. (Yes, yes they are.)_

I brought myself out of that memory and frowned. I had been remembering my past more lately. Not that I hadn't forgot, I had just locked them away and refused to think about it. Finished with my shoes, I walked down the hallway, and looked around.

"Hello?" I called uncertainly. There was immediate noise.

"SKELLY!" Yelled a blur of red as it crashed into me. I yelped as I flew backwards. I looked at my captain in surprise.

"Luffy-san!" I said. I heard footsteps and looked up. Nami and Zoro were walking towards me, more subdued, but never the less thrilled to see me. I looked at them, confused.

"I don't understand. Why was I attacked by my own captain?" I asked. The three of them started to laugh. This only served to confuse me more.

"We're in that restaurant that we ate at 2 days ago." Zoro said. "You were out like a light, so we bandaged you up. We got a call from Kaya today. She said that if you were awake, she wanted to show us something." I nodded at this information.

"Well," I said, "I'm up, so we might as well see what she has to show us." I looked at my Captain. "You can get off me now. I'm going with you." I said. He sobered up, his grin gone.

After we leave, you're gonna tell us about your past, and why it haunts you." I looked at him, surprised, my smile gone from my face for the first time in ages. Not that it was a real smile, but still. I looked up at Zoro and Nami. They were staring at me the same way our captain was. I plastered my grin on my face.

"I don't know what you mean." I said, but I couldn't keep my voice from cracking, or my heart from pounding loudly.

"You know exactly what we mean." Nami said, and then smiled herself. "Alrighty! Let's go see what Kaya wants to show us!" They stood up and walked off, chatting like nothing had happened. I sat against the wall, face shadowed. (I think they have become too close…) I said. (I cannot deny them anything.) Billy was silent. It was Sharpclaw who spoke, having woken up when they were confronting me. (Give into your instincts.) He said. (Do you feel safe around the, despite the trouble you get in to?) (…yes…) I said timidly. (Do you feel as though you would trust them with your life?) (…yes…) (Then tell them. They are probably itching to help you, and feel the same way about you as you do them.) I nodded, mind made up. If anything like _that_ happened again, I would risk my life to save them. 

"Hey, Skelly! We don't have all day you know!" Luffy called, his grin was plastered on his face, and, unlike mine usually was, it was real. I grinned at him, and stood up.

"Coming!" I called, running after them.

30 minutes later

"WOOOW!" Yelled Luffy in amazement.

"It's a Caravel!" Said Nami, clapping her hands in delight.

"Ho." Zoro was looking impressed. I grinned, and looked at our new home. The thing that Kaya had to show us was a ship.

"Are you _really_ giving this to us?" I asked Kaya, pointing at the ship. Merry and Kaya nodded.

"This ship was designed by me." Merry said, indicating the Caravel. "It might look a little bit old. Its name is "The Going Merry". She is a caravel ship with a rudder in the middle. This kind of ship has been very popular in the Latin world." He looked at me.

"This is to thank you for saving my life, and to thank all of you," He turned to the rest of the crew, "for saving our precious village from the Kuroneko pirates." He walked over to Luffy.

"Now, I'll explain how to steer it. About the crouger net, you need to regulate it by yards." I watched in amusement as Luffy tilted his head, confused. Nami walked up and tapped Merry on the shoulder.

"He doesn't understand that, you'd better explain it to me." I laughed at this, and Luffy started laughing with me.

"It's a very good ship!" He said brightly, and I nodded happily. Kaya spoke up.

"I also prepared the necessary supplies on the ship!" she said with a smile on her face.

"Ah, thanks! You stepped on us and kicked us!"Luffy said, still laughing a little.

"You mean; 'You came and helped us'…idiot." I laughed even harder.

**[A/N: This is a Japanese joke…I understand it in Japanese…if you don't, sorry. Not my fault. This was the translation I had in front of me when I was writing this.]**

"AAAAAAAAH!" I looked to where the screaming was coming from. It sounded suspiciously like…

"Usopp-san!" I exclaimed as he tumbled towards us with a very oversized bag on his back. I had a feeling that the bag was why he was tumbling.

"SOMEONE! STOP ME!" He shouted. Luffy and Zoro stepped forward, and lifted up their legs, stopping Usopp by kicking him in the face.

"Th-thanks…" he mumbled through their feet.

"No problem." Luffy said. I pointed to the Going Merry.

"I'm going up." I said.

"I'm coming too!" Luffy shouted before he swarmed up the ladder. I chuckled at his antics, and ambled to the ship, where I stood looking at it for a minute. _This is a good ship._ I thought, repeating my captains' words. I smiled, and then started climbing the ladder.

I walked around the deck, taking in the view. Walking up to the mast, I looked up to the crow's nest. (This is peaceful.) Said Billy. (It is.) I answered, feeling more peaceful than I had been in a very long time. There was some shouting, and I walked over to where the others were, and leaned against the railing. Usopp was in a dingy.

"Just shut up and get on this ship." Zoro said, pointing at the deck.

"We're on the same team now." Luffy remarked, looking at Usopp. I smiled. After a pause, Usopp raised his arms.

"I GET TO BE CAPTAIN, RIGHT?" He yelled. Luffy stood up quickly.

"NO WAY!I'M CAPTAIN!" I laughed. This crew was definitely turning into a family. That thought darkened my mood, but I hid it behind my smile. What bothered me most was how it was becoming harder and harder to lie to them. It was harder to pretend like nothing was wrong when things were heading into chaos.

We set sail, and soon after his homeland was out of sight, we had a party for our newest member.

"FOR OUR NEW MEMBER…**KAMPAI**!" We shouted as we raised our grog to the sky, or, in my case, juice. We had a great time, laughing and singing. I had almost forgotten what they had said earlier, when suddenly, it happened.

"Kretcher." Luffy said. I looked at him in shock. He had always, _always_ called me Skelly, and I had grown to like that nickname, even _if_ it was describing what I looked less like. He was looking at me seriously, as were the other three.

"Tell us about your past." I gulped, my smile faltering.

**Hah! That wasn't the ending you were expecting, was it? *evil grin* So, this was a dark chapter, but I had planned it that way to begin with. I'll tell you now, she just gives them a brief outline. She doesn't go into details. I apologize for it being dark, and I must tell you, It does become a little darker. Just bear with me. I might raise the rating a little. 'M' is too high though. This is teen friendly. (Kinda)**

**This is the longest chapter I've written! XD It took such a long time! I was growing impatient! And the fighting scene was sooo long to write. I was literally just sitting there staring at my screen thinking; 'Oh my God! What will happen next?' I seriously just put down 'fights Kuro' In the plot line I made, and that was it! So the entire thing was done on the spot! **

**I have a Beta reader, just so you know, but he isn't on . He's my friend. I show the chapter to him. **

**Thank you for reading lovies! *airkiss***


	9. Chapter 9

**Ureshiitamago: Well…I received some reviews…a couple were great! I absolutely adored them! There was one, however, that got me kind of down. I'm going to publically answer you, Guest person, because I don't know who you are. I'm glad that you reviewed, and brought this topic up. **

**To Guest: **

**No. Kretcher is NOT going to "hook up" with ****_anyone_****. This is a strictly Nakama ****_only_**** fanfic. If you don't like this, and feel like flaming me, go somewhere else. If you want me to write one like that, like I said two chapters ago, I will make one. It's going to be a ****_different_**** storyline though, and I'm sorry if I wasn't clear enough. It is going to be with a ****_different_**** OC. I have plenty of OC's, so I can do that. Be forewarned though, my main focus is Spirit, so I won't update on that as much ****_if_**** I decide to do it. As I said two chapter ago, that is only going to happen if enough people ask me for that to happen. I repeat on a different line;**

**It will be with a ****_different_**** OC, in a ****_different_**** story. I don't mind if people pm me who they think that Kretcher should be with, but it ****_isn't_**** going to happen. This storyboard was set up by me 2 years ago. Again, you can pm me who you think Kretcher should be with, but its Nakama only. I'd prefer it if you'd pm me on whether you want me to do the other fanfic or not. **

**Kretcher: That was long.**

**Ureshiitamago: I know, I'm sorry…**

**Kretcher: It's ok. *turns to audience* Like she said, I don't have any romantic interest. And you'll find out why in this chapter. Ureshiitamago doesn't own One Piece, only me, if she did, she would marry Luffy.**

**Ureshiitamago: HEY! *blushes***

_"__FOR OUR NEW MEMBER…__**KAMPAI**__!" We shouted as we raised our grog to the sky, or, in my case, juice. We had a great time, laughing and singing. I had almost forgotten what they had said earlier, when suddenly, it happened._

_"__Kretcher." Luffy said. I looked at him in shock. He had always, always called me Skelly, and I had grown to like that nickname, even if it was describing what I looked less like. He was looking at me seriously, as were the other three._

_"__Tell us about your past." I gulped, my smile faltering._

Chapter 9: Oops, We Endangered Someone's Life…and Some of my Past is Revealed?

I stared around at everyone with a sinking feeling in my gut. They couldn't hold off that question to tomorrow? (Get it over with. You'll feel better.) Billy said, his voice uncharacteristically kind. I stood there; mute, looking at the others with wide eyes, looking very much like a deer in the headlights. Shakily, I sat down, and let out a deep breath that I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

"...You may not want to be near me after I tell you." I said, trying to back out of it. They stared at me, unrelenting. I leaned back against the railing, and started to talk.

"I lived on an Island on the South Blue until I was about 10. Before that, my mother was the Queen, and my father was the King. I was the youngest princess…"

_I ran round and round my father's legs, rejoicing in the ability to walk. I was 4._

"I had some problems until I was about…I dunno…4? Anyway, I was the baby of the family, but I had to grow up fast." Luffy looked at me curiously.

"Because when you're a princess, you have to put the people at ease with your smile. Make them feel better. And you can't show signs of anxiety, and you can't cry. You have to be a proper example…I wasn't like that at all…it drove my mother crazy…"

_I stood still; dress in rags, dirt on my face, and leaves in my hair. Mother was shaking her finger at me and yelling. Her face was blotchy red, and wasn't pretty. I trembled a bit, knowing what was coming. The nurse brought the paddle into the room._

"Even though we had our differences, like sitting up straight, and using honorifics, I grew into the princess persona by the time I was 6. I had an older brother, about 2 years ahead of me, who went off to train to be a knight in the East blue. I also had 3 older sisters. They were 1 year older than me, and were triplets."

_The three of them stood before me, staring at me with merely concealed disgust._

_ "__Why are you friends with a _commoner_?" spat the first. I trembled, clinging onto my friend as she clung onto me. The three of them continued their assault. The next day, my friend started to ignore me. _

I laughed. "They were the biggest pranksters! One time, they set loose a mouse under my mother's chair in the dining room, and she jumped 5 feet into the air!"

_Mother looked at the four of us suspiciously as she reset her hair. The three pointed at me, with looks of disgust on their faces. I didn't have dinner that night._

"My brother and I were the closest, aside from my father and I. He would teach me how to fight and defend myself, and my father would cover for us while he was teaching me."

_"__Yeah, that's the stance _! You got it! Now, try and disarm me!" _said, holding the wooden practice sword out at arms length. He swung it at me, and I had him disarmed in a flash. He stared, and then started to laugh. Tackling me, he tickled me until I surrendered. We stared up at the sky, laughing and panting. _

_ "__I should've known you were here." Said a kind voice. I shrieked in delight, and both brother and I flung ourselves at father, and he tumbled onto the grass from the weight. All three of us laughed and wrestled until dinnertime. _

I took a deep breath. This was the part that I didn't want to tell them. (Tell them.) Billy and Sharpclaw said at the same time. I looked at Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Usopp. My smile had gone, and they looked tense, knowing something bad was coming. Zoro sipped from his tankard, and motioned for me to continue. I gulped.

"When I was 10…no…when it was my 10th birthday…something appeared." Luffy looked confused, and cocked his head to the side.

"Like a meat on the stick?" He asked. His stomach growled in response to his not so subtle hint. Nami hit him with her staff. I giggled, and then grew serious.

"Unfortunately, Luffy-san, it was not meat." He made a pooh-pooh face. "It was a demon." Nami looked at me, askance.

"There's no such thing as a demon." She said. "It's not a scientific fact." I shook my head.

"I know what I saw, Nami-san. It appeared before _me_." I looked at her. She looked back, peering at me, before leaning back, crossing her arms.

"Did it say anything?" She was still suspicious. That didn't matter. They would see it soon enough.

"It did. I still remember exactly what it said." I looked out into the water, face tight. I _really_ didn't want to relive that whole night. Little flashes were okay, but _ was buried for a reason. If 'Kretcher' allowed her to come back, I would probably go into mental shock. (I won't let you.) Said Billy. (Keep going. I'll make sure that _ stays where she is.) I mentally thanked him. I took another deep breath and turned to the others again. They were looking at me, nonjudgmental, and I almost chickened out. I didn't have anywhere else to go if they were disgusted or scared and kicked me out. (Keep going.) Urged Sharpclaw. (Maybe they'll surprise you.) I spoke.

"It said that I'll never have a family, that it was its curse on me. Whenever I make a family, even one that has no blood relation, it would ruin it. I was to be alone forever and a day. It then proceeded to possess everyone in town. They rioted, and burned everything. They hung my entire family, except for my brother and I, at the gallows. I don't know why, no one had been hanged there since my great-grandfathers reign. I also don't know what they did with my brother, or even if they captured him. But, he's dead, or he would've found me by now, and the chance of hi still being alive becomes slimmer and slimmer every day." I sighed. Luckily, I hadn't fallen into a memory. Nami raised her hand. I nodded at her to go on.

"Why did it pick _you_ to put a curse on? And why didn't you get hung?" I winced. My answers would just shroud everything in more mystery. I answered anyway.

"I honestly don't know _why_ it decided to put a curse on a 10 year old. And The whole that the riot was happening, I was invisible. Courtesy of the Demon. According to it, it didn't want its precious 'prey' to be killed too soon." I clapped my hands together.

"Well, that's the end of my story!" _But not all of it…_ "Thank you for listening…I have a warning." I looked at them pleadingly.

"Please let me off your crew. If it decides that you all are too close, it might find a way to kill you guys too." Nami and Usopp clung to each other and screamed. I ignored them and turned to Luffy, knowing that he was the one who needed the most cajoling. I didn't want them to die just because I thought that they were like family. He glared at me.

"No." He said, folding his arms. I gaped at him.

"Bu-"

"No."

"Lu-"

"No means no, and I'm the captain. So what if that thing decides to try and kill us? We'll kill it first." He huffed and turned to Zoro, Nami, and Usopp.

"Right?" Nami and Usopp stopped screaming long enough to nod their heads seriously, although I noticed that Nami looked a little hesitant. _It's probably that thing that's been bothering her…_Zoro took another swig from his tankard and grinned menacingly.

"I've never fought a demon before…I can't wait!" I looked at them all, Luffy was grinning his stupid grin, Zoro looked ready for a fight, Nami wasn't screaming anymore, and Usopp was making up stories on how many demons he had fought, though his knees were shaking. I didn't dare to hope just yet.

"Why?" I whispered, clutching my hands together. Luffy's grin became even bigger, if that was physically possible.

"You're our Nakama, right?" Suddenly, everything that had been weighing on me for the past 9 years of my life lifted, and everything looked lighter as I stared at my crew, my family. I felt tears prick at my eyes, but held them back. I still held Mother's lessons to my heart. Instead, I smiled my first real smile in a long time. It was at that moment that I realized that if the demon killed them, I would follow as best I could. Even if it took years to accomplish. It felt good to have two goals in life.

We partied for a little longer, and then retired for the night. I didn't have any nightmares.

The next day

Luffy held up the black piece of fabric for all to see.

"The flag is finished!" He announced, and then started to laugh. I felt a sweatdrop run down my head. What he had drawn on the flag was downright _hideous_.

"If our flag looks like that, Luffy-san, I'm going to leave the crew." I said, looking back down at the book I was reading, then calmly flipped the page as he stared at me, his mouth agape.

"Hey! I put a lot of thought into this pirate flag!" Usopp, Nami, and Zoro walked up to take a look-see.

"This is _ours_?" They said in strangled unison. I held the book closer to my face and scrunched myself up in an effort not to laugh. (That looks like someone puked on the flag…) observed Billy, purposefully trying to make me laugh. He almost succeeded. Usopp, Nami, and Zoro were looking at the flag.

"His drawing really sucks!" Usopp said, his chin touching the floor.

"Maybe it's supposed to be abstract?..." murmured Nami, arching one eyebrow.

"Well, a pirate flag is the symbol of death…this looks scary in a way…" Zoro said. I started to shake.

"How is it?" Luffy asked, a grin on his face. (He sure recovers fast…) Sharpclaw said, idly.

"You really don't know how to draw…" Usopp said, then picked up another piece of fabric. Nami had allowed us to buy 6 of them. "I'll do it myself." After a few minutes he held his creation up, only to be hit in the head by Luffy and Zoro.

"You drew your own symbol." They said in unison. That sent me over the edge, and I dropped my book as I rolled around, laughing so hard I wondered if it were possible to die laughing. Usopp had finished up the next one while I was laughing, and held it up, and I sobered. This one was good. It was a simple skull and crossbones, but it had a strawhat on its head. We chattered for a while, and then set the flags in place. Usopp drew the symbol on the sails.

"NOW THE GOING MERRY IS COMPLETE!" Yelled Luffy, perched on top of the figure head. He had claimed that seat as soon as we had set sail. We were laying down, recovering from climbing and tying things when the ship shook, and we heard a loud boom. I didn't want to stand up just yet, so I rolled over while everyone else went to go investigate. I yawned, and fell asleep.

_I ran and ran, trying to escape that hell-hole that had once been my country. My horse, Minnie, had died of her wounds even though I had bandaged them up and put salve on them. I was crying, saddened beyond my years. Minnie had been a birthday present from my Mother on my 4__th__ birthday, and she was very special, almost like family. _

_I gasped, and stopped. What the Demon had said was true. (He can't kill me.) Billy said. I shuddered. The feeling of someone talking in my head was still new to me. Dimly, I heard shouts behind me, and started running again. I needed to get out of there._

I gasped awake, sitting up ramrod straight. I looked around, noticing that there were two more people on the ship. They were dancing to invisible music. Suddenly, one of them collapsed, blood pouring out of his mouth. I stood up and walked over.

"Hey Skelly!" Luffy said. "Usopp's our sharpshooter." I nodded. "Can you cook?" He asked me. I hesitated for a second.

"Do you like burned meat?" I asked him, and he blanched.

"Never mind." He said. I laughed.

"I can _bake_, but that's just sweets. Cooking is different. I can't cook to save my life." I said. Luffy nodded, acting like that made sense.

"This is a good lesson." Nami said, indicating the man who had fallen down.

"I never knew we could get sick as easily as that…" Zoro said. I looked at the man who had fallen down.

"Scurvy, huh." I said, earning a look from the rest of them. "What?"

"You know what scurvy is?" Asked Nami. I looked at her, honestly surprised.

"Who doesn't?" I asked. She pointed at the boys. "Ah."

"So, during a long journey, a chef is the person who makes sure that everyone has enough food…" Usopp reasoned.

"Come to think of it, a chef is very important." Nami realized. I looked at her in concern. Food is always very important. What did she mean 'come to think of it."?

"I've decided." Luffy said, then stuck his tongue out at us. "We'll search for a chef and have a chance to eat good food." I grinned at that. The other man, with a tattoo on his face, looked at us.

"If you're looking for a chef, I would like to recommend one place. However, I'm not sure that one will join you." He said.

"Restaurant ship?" We asked after he had explained where it was.

"Yes. From here it should take two to three days to get there. But you have to be careful because it's close to the Grand Line, a lot of bad pirates roam around there. I've even heard that the "Takanome" whom Zoro-aniki is looking for used to go there." At that, Zoro looked excited, and I wondered why.

"I'll take you there if you want!" Johnny offered. We cheered, except for Zoro, who had his back turned to us. I mentally twisted my sight. His aura was darker than before. I said nothing, and continued to act excited along with everyone else as we got underway.

**This is a relatively short chapter…mostly because I'm tired and not too imaginative today. ****L****sorry. I want to thank everyone! Yes, everyone. I love you all! *kiss* R&R please!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Ureshiitamago: O.o .God! 10! Ok, I know I sounded like a weirdo there, but I never actually thought that I'd get to 10! Well, I made a small mistake in the last chapter, Kretcher isn't 19, she's 16, same age as Luffy. I counted that wrong, and am very sorry. I counted like this; 10, 11, 12, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6….I must've been either really stupid, or really tired. Either way, I looked it over three times before submitting it, and still didn't catch that mistake…**

**Kretcher: I always knew you were stupid. Stupid.**

**Ureshiitamago: *angry face* you and Sanji are going to get along soooo well.**

**Kretcher: Sanji?**

**Sanji: That's me, oh beautiful maiden! *heart for an eye***

**Kretcher:…! GAAAAAAAAAH! STAY AWAY! *hides behind Zoro* HELP ME!**

**Zoro: Why?**

**Kretcher: …**

**Ureshiitamago: I don't own One Piece, if I did, I would be married to Luffy. I do own Kretcher though. Hands off my OC! Get my permission first. **

_"__If you're looking for a chef, I would like to recommend one place. However, I'm not sure that one will join you." He said. _

_ "__Restaurant ship?" We asked after he had explained where it was._

_ "__Yes. From here it should take two to three days to get there. But you have to be careful because it's close to the Grand Line, a lot of bad pirates roam around there. I've even heard that the "Takanome" whom Zoro-aniki is looking for used to go there." At that, Zoro looked excited, and I wondered why. _

_ "__I'll take you there if you want!" Johnny offered. We cheered, except for Zoro, who had his back turned to us. I mentally twisted my sight. His aura was darker than before. I said nothing, and continued to act excited along with everyone else as we got underway. _

Chapter 10 J: A New Character Appears! Enter Sanji, the Ero-Cook

After 7 days of sailing, we finally made it to the sea restaurant.

"Zoro-sempai! Luffy-sempai! Nami-Sempai! Kretcher-sempai! Usopp-sempai! We're there! The restaurant Baratie!" Johnny and Yosaku shouted. I was up in the Crow's Nest with Usopp, playing tic-tac-toe. He won every time. I was laughing with him when the call went out, and we both looked at each other in a little disappointment. In the days that we had sailed from his hometown, Usopp and I had grown as close as my brother and I had been. We looked over the edge of the wall in slight excitement.

"It looks like a fish." I commented dryly. "As expected of a bunch of cooks." The restaurant rang a bell for some reason, but I shoved that matter aside with a slight frown. I then realized that Usopp had scrambled down the rope ladder in his excitement and was now at the bow of the ship with everyone else, shouting at its strange shape. I laughed quietly to myself, and looked starboard. (I do believe that that's a marine ship.) Billy said calmly. (I believe you're right.) I said back, just as calmly. (I think now would be a good time to warn everyone.) Sharpclaw said, as calm as Billy and I. (Do you think that they'd listen?) I asked, indicating the others below. The two of them were silent for a moment. (No.) They said at the same time, and we lapsed into silence, waiting for the others to notice. It was Luffy who noticed first.

"Ah! A marine ship! When did it get here?" He looked up at me. I had my elbow propped on top of the wall, and was leaning on my palm, looking back at him, a bored look on my face. "Why didn't you tell us?" He asked, propping his fists on his hips. I chuckled.

"Would you have listened with a giant fish restaurant right in front of you?" I asked. I jumped over the wall of the Crow's Nest, and landed on my feet beside him. "There's a man with pink hair on that ship by the way." I made my way over to the railing, and leaned against it. I was facing the direction opposite that of the Marines. Behind me, I could hear some talking, then some shouting, and finally, the boom of a cannon. Our ship rocked with the waves, and I gripped the railing with wide eyes. Whipping around, I saw that Luffy had inflated like a balloon, and had a dent in his middle.

"TAKE THIS BACK!" Luffy shouted, and bounced the cannon back…into the ceiling of the Baratie. I ran up to him, and hit him over the head.

"IDIOT! NOW YOU HAVE TO WORK THAT OFF!" I shouted, and proceeded to scold him over his deflection abilities. The rest of the crew sweatdropped as they looked at me. (…That's what you think is wrong?) Billy asked. I ignored him. When I had finished scolding, a few cooks appeared on our ship.

"Who shot that cannonball into our restaurant?" They asked. The crew and I pointed at Luffy. They grabbed him by the arms and led him away.

"Do you think it was ok for them to take him away like that?" Asked Usopp, looking a little nervous. I scowled and walked over to the girls room to take a nap.

_A hand was shaking me._

_ "__Psst, _, get up! I've got something to show you!" I groaned, and turned over in my soft down bed. The shaking grew more urgent._

_ "__Come on! Hurry, or it'll disappear!" I sat up and slapped his hands away, very much awake._

_ "__What is it, _?" I asked as I flung off my covers and slipped on my slippers. He grinned, and shook his head. Taking me by the hand, he lead me out of the building to the hills beyond. When we reached the top of a hill, he stopped, and, releasing my hand, pointed to the sky. I looked up and gasped. Beautiful colors were dancing across the stars, from this vantage point, they seemed close enough for me to touch. _

_ "__It's the Aurora!" Exclaimed _, looking happy. I knew he was wrong, however. I don't know how I knew, but I knew. These were souls, the ones that had gone to heaven, returned for the night. I reached up with both of my hands, and basked in it's glow._

_ "__Happy 9__th__ birthday, _!"_

A hand was shaking me awake. Sighing, I let go of that fond memory, and sat up. Nami was the one who had woken me.

"What is it, Nami-san?" I asked brightly, a smile on my face. She grinned at me.

"Want to go tease Luffy by eating good food right in front of his nose?" She asked. My grin broadened.

"You had me at 'food'." I said, throwing off my covers. She looked at me oddly. "What?" I asked, slipping on my green sandels.

"Why do you like food so much?" She asked, a puzzled look on her face. I contemplated her question for a bit, then shrugged.

"Same reason that Luffy-san calls me 'Skelly'." I grinned at her, and then stood up, and walked past her to the door. There, I paused and turned around.

"I believe that I have told you all my past, Nami-san. I know what you are going to do soon, and I won't stop you. But, the next time we meet, and there will be a next time, you will tell my about your past." Before she could argue, I opened the door and walked out. She soon followed, but with a more dejected look on her face. (I hope I didn't break anything…) I said, worriedly. (She'll be fine.) Sharpclaw assured me. (She's more tough than anyone knows.) I mentally nodded at his wisdom, and continued on to the gangplank.

We walked into the restaurant together, discussing on how long Luffy would have to work to pay off his debt.

"I say a year." I said. I had been insisting on that, partially because I had to do the same thing at a different restaurant.

"I bet you he won't have to work here for more than a day or two." Zoro said. I grinned at him.

"I won't bet anything, because with Luffy-san, you never know. I said a year because I assume that's the time that he will be allotted. But with the amount of impatientness he has, I assume that you're estimation will be spot on." I had said this while we were being led to a table by a burly man in a chef's hat. We sat down. I sat next to Nami, Zoro sat across from me, and Usopp sat next to Zoro. We ordered our entrées. I picked a fruit cup. When the food arrived, we eagerly dug into it, reveling in its taste. We weren't there for 15 minutes when we heard Luffy.

"You guys." He was staring at us in disbelief. Nami raised her hand and waved.

"What's up, servant?" She said, as if it were perfectly normal that her captain was working in a restaurant that he had destroyed the roof of. Usopp grinned at him.

"Kretcher thinks that you have to work here for one year! Is that true?" He was laughing. Zoro crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

"Can I change the pirate flag?" I said nothing, having finished my first fruit cup and had started on my second. (You sure are eating a lot.) remarked Billy blandly. I sent a wave of joking anger in his direction. (Well, seeing as I almost died of starvation a few weeks ago, you shouldn't be _that_ surprised.) I said. He chuckled in response.

"You're sitting comfortably enjoying food while I'm suffering…DON'T YOU THINK THAT'S UNFAIR?" Luffy shouted. I stopped eating and looked at him.

"Life's not fair." I said, deadpan. The others started laughing, and soon, I was joining in. I almost gagged, though, as Luffy deposited a booger in Zoro's glass of water. Under the table, I nudged Zoro with my food. He glanced at me, and I made a disgusted face at his water. He grinned.

"Unfair, you say? But we have our rights." Zoro said, pretending not to notice. I shook my head and went back to devouring the fruit. "This restaurant is very good. If it seems unfair to you…" he paused. Nami and Usopp were almost doubled over with their held in laughter.

"WHY DON'T YOU DRINK THIS YOURSELF?!" He yelled, and shoved the water down Luffy's throat. I giggled through my mouthful of food, and swallowed with difficulty.

"OH! THANK GOD I'VE MET YOU TWO TODAY!" Shouted a man's voice, and I looked up to see a blond man in a suit and a tie. "Oh Love, you can just laugh at me. As long as you two are with me, I can become a pirate or an evil being! Oh, but our poor destiny is so doomed!" I sweatdropped as I looked at the clown.

**[A/N: I mean, seriously, what would ****_your_**** reaction be? Kretcher doesn't like stuff like this, so if you want to flame just because she doesn't like love letters, bugger off and find a different fanfic.]**

I grimaced at his fancy words, the last time I had heard stuff like that; I had found out later that the person in question was just after the title of 'prince'. I looked back at my food, apatite suddenly gone. I wasn't one to leave food on my plate, though, so I finished anyway. (…I'm sure he's not _that_ bad a fellow…maybe.) Sharpclaw said uncertainly. (He's not going anywhere near you. Not if I've got anything to say about it.) Grumbled Billy. (Are you in father mode again?) I asked in a teasing voice, though I was secretly relieved. He harrumphed and glared at the blond through the earring. I looked up, just as the man went flying. Right into our table. I let out a squeak and lifted my plate up just in time. He and our table went flying.

"That was some flight." I remarked, trying my best not to let my face slip. I looked over to my right, and saw an impressive man. I could see his aura even though I had it 'off', but it didn't overwhelm me like Kuro's did. In fact, his aura seemed very calming. He noticed me squinting at him. {he was that bright.} He pointed at me.

"You. You can see aura's, right?" I gulped and nodded. "You also contract spirits, am I right?" Again, I nodded. "Come with me for a moment." I nodded again and stood up, giving my plate to Luffy.

"I'll be back, Luffy-san, I think he has to talk to me about what I can do." Luffy grinned at me. I was walking with the man when I heard a shout from behind.

"LISTEN, I DON'T CARE HOW MANY TIMES YOU TELL ME TO LEAVE! I'M GOING TO BE A CHEF HERE FOREVER! YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT? I WILL STAY HERE UNTIL YOU DIE!" I looked at the blondie, then back at the man next to me.

"I won't die for another 100 years." The impressive man said calmly. I walked with him up some stairs, and into a room…with a big hole in the roof. A sweatdrop ran down my head.

"I apologize for what my Captain has done to your restaurant." I said, and bowed.

"Stand up. I don't really care about the ceiling. I have a message and an item for you." He said. I looked up at him curiously. He was holding a letter and a bracelet. My eyes widened, I _knew_ that bracelet. It was the same one I had worn until a few weeks before my 10th birthday. If it was here…that meant…

"Was there a man who looked like me here, except 2 years older?" I asked him, meeting his eyes. He grunted in reply and thrust the paper and bracelet at me. I took them shakily. He motioned for me to open the letter, and I complied.

_Dear _,_

_I know that this letter might never get to you, but I am putting my trust into Honor to deliver this to you. I know that I have not been the best older brother, in fact, I wasn't there when you needed the most support. I am sorry. This bracelet that I made you give me before I left holds a spirit that had been trapped inside even before it was given to you. It has totally assimilated with your spirit, and I think that only you have the power to make a contract with it._

_Your maybe not so beloved brother anymore_

_Olan_

I stared at the familiar, yet not so familiar handwriting, and almost burst into tears, but I held it in. I lifted up the bracelet, and stared at it, contemplating. (That's even more powerful than me.) Remarked Sharpclaw, a hint of awe in his mind voice. I slipped off the bracelet on my left hand that I hadn't gotten around to binding with me yet, and slipped on the wooden bracelet inlaid with gold. It felt like coming home. I smiled up at Honor.

"Thank you." I said, and meant it. He nodded. Suddenly, the ship shook. I stared out of the hole in the wall, eyes wide. There was a huge galleon, and it was in tatters.

"Wow. That is one big galleon. I wonder what happened." Honor looked out at the Galleon with me.

"Dracule Mihawk happened, or I don't know my Shichibukai." He commented calmly. "Come, you'll help me bring a sack of food for a hundred men out into the gallery." I trotted by his side, eager to be of any help to the man whom my brother had trusted. The kitchen was empty when we arrived there, and he set about making food at a lightning pace. I watched in awe as he finished cooking dish after dish. He stacked them into the bag which I was holding. It slowly grew heavier and heavier, and I had to call on Billy's strength to keep up. Finally, he finished, and tied the top closed. Then, the grabbed the top and lifted the bag out of my hands. I stumbled with the sudden lightness, and followed Honor into the galley.

I stopped for a moment in surprise. The door was busted down, and there were chefs sitting everywhere, bleeding from various wounds.

"Go join your friends." Honor ordered. I nodded and walked over to Luffy. Honor plopped the food he had made in front of a man in gold armor. I knew who he was from the wanted posters.

"Don Creek, huh?" I said as I stopped by Luffy. He looked over at me.

"Oh, hey Skelly. Do you think that the old man would let my debt go if I beat that man up?" I looked at Luffy in non-surprise.

"Maybe?" I said. I looked back at Honor. He was in a strained conversation with Creek.

"That will depend on their spirits. Isn't that right…fugitives from Grand Line?" Everyone in the room gasped. (Well. That was an overrrdrrramatic rrrreaction nya.) It was a new voice. (Hello,) I said politely, (might you be the spirit that I was told was inhabiting this bracelet?) it chuckled. (My, my. How obserrrvant nya. Forrrr yourrrr inforrrrmation, I can also become a stuffed animal nya.) Billy cleared his throat. (Can we leave the introductions for later? I think that we're about to be in big doodoo right now.) The new spirit contemplated Billy for a moment. (If that's alrrright with Krrrretcherrrrr nya. I have been with herrr since she was a cub, and I value herrrr orrrderrrs overrrr anyone else's nya.) I was beginning to think that the new spirit was a kind of cat{well, no duh}. Don Creek was talking.

"After I get that journal, I will gather men and go back to the Grand Line. I will acquire 'One Piece', the ultimate treasure, and become the greatest pirate in the world!" _Uh oh._ I thought, almost pitying the guy…almost. As I expected, Luffy walked up to him.

"Wait a minute." Luffy said, pointing at Creek with a menacing look in his eyes. "I am the one who will become the Pirate King, not you." I smiled and locked my hands behind my back. Luffy could handle this guy. "This is the only thing that I can't concede." The atmosphere thickened as Creek glared at my captain.

"What the hell are you saying, kid? You can take those words back." I shuffled my feet. (I sense a disturbance in the force…) I said.

"I don't have to take them back, because I'm speaking the truth." Luffy said confidently. (I sense it too.) Billy said. (As do I.) (Me too nya.)

"This is not a joke."

"I know." Luffy was grinning. I heard some familiar voices behind me.

"Did you hear that? Don Creek said that he couldn't get through the Grand Line! Don't be upset, but I don't think that we should go there." I grinned as I recognized that shaky voice. It was Usopp.

"You'd better shut up." Growled another voice. My grin became wider as I turned around. Zoro and Usopp were on the stairs leading up to the second floor. I walked over to them and climbed the stairs next to them.

"Hey there, Zoro-san, Usopp-san!" I said cheerily. They grinned and waved back at me before we turned our attention back to what was going on below.

"Are you going to fight, Luffy? Need some help?" Zoro asked, casually propping his white katana on his shoulder.

"You're still here? No, I don't need any help, just stay there." Luffy said. I smiled at him, and nodded in compliance. Though I really felt like punching Creek when he started laughing at us.

"Hahaha! Are _they_ your crew? They're only 3 _kids_! Hahahahahaha!" I scowled, fighting the urge to beat him up.

"That's not all, I also have two more!" Luffy said, holding up 2 fingers.

"Hey, hey. Are you counting me too?" Asked the blond.

"Who's he?" I whispered to Zoro.

"The new cook. His name's Sanji." He replied, also whispering. I nodded. Sanji-san it is then.

"STOP FOOLING AROUND, KID! BECAUSE I LACKED PREPERATION, MY 5000 MEN WERE DESTROYED IN 7 DAYS ON THAT EVIL SEA!" Creek shouted. Everyone started murmuring in surprise. Usopp started crying.

"Did you hear that?" he said to me. "50 ships were destroyed in 7 days!" I looked at him blankly.

"Yeah, so?" His jaw dropped as he looked at me. He turned to Zoro. Zoro laughed.

"That's so interesting!" He said. I grinned. Usopp looked back and forth between us, and then threw up his hands in disgust.

"That's it…" he muttered. "I give up. This crew will be the death of me." Zoro and I laughed.

"….want to die, just go while my crew is eating." Don Creek said as he walked out the door. "My goal is just a journal and this ship. If you want to die, I'll help you, even though that would cost me some time." There was some silence as he disappeared. I broke it.

"If he thought that was a cool line to leave on, he failed miserably." I commented calmly. Usopp shook me, crying.

"HOW CAN YOU BE SO CALM?!" I stared at him in confusion.

"How can you be so loud?"

"…whoever dares to try and take this restaurant, even you, I will kill that person without mercy." Sanji was saying. I looked over at him. He was talking to a man who had been with Don Creek. "Understand?" He then started bantering with a muscular chef who was carrying a really big knife. Luffy was standing on the stairs with us.

"See? He's a good man, right?" He said, pointing at Sanji. Usopp made to get up.

"I don't care about him! Let's get out of here first!" I sighed into my hand. Usopp could be so cowardly at times.

"Calm down. The enemy is just a bunch of sick people." Zoro and I said at the same time. We looked at each other, and grinned. I had a feeling that my grin only made me look more like a skeleton.

"Right! Besides, I have to fight him. If he's that good, it'll be either him or I that is killed." Luffy said, with a face that said that he wouldn't be the one to die. I hoped that he was right. Luffy jumped off the stairs and walked over to the man who had been with Creek. I zoned out, and waited for the fighting to start.

**Wooo another chapter done! Weeee! Hahaha! See you next time! Don't forget to R&R**


	11. Chapter 11

**Ureshiitamago: I dunno. I felt like doing something during downtime (not that I usually have much, especially this week…) and I remembered that I might not be able to make 2 chapters this weekend, so I decided to make one now…**

**Kretcher: Make up your mind.**

**Ureshiitamago: …Look, I just got done with homework that I didn't know how to do…try to tick me off why don't you? *glares with evil aura***

**Kretcher: …O.o *backs off with hands raised.***

**Ureshiitamago: Can you do the disclaimer? I feel like beating my head against this conveniently placed wall…*starts hitting head against wall.* I…hate…freaking…Chemistry!**

**Kretcher: O.o ook. She doesn't own One Piece…only me…and any other OC or OI that pop up…let's start now before she permanently damages her brain…**

**Ureshiitamago: ^.^ enjoy!**

**Kretcher: -_-; what a fast recovery…**

**Ureshiitamago: Oh yeah, last time was a fast sign off because there were a few bees in my house, and I wanted to finish pretty fast…3 of them…in front of my nose…*shudders***

_"__Calm down. The enemy is just a bunch of sick people." Zoro and I said at the same time. We looked at each other, and grinned. I had a feeling that my grin only made me look more like a skeleton. _

_ "__Right! Besides, I have to fight him. If he's that good, it'll be either him or I that is killed." Luffy said, with a face that said that he wouldn't be the one to die. I hoped that he was right. Luffy jumped off the stairs and walked over to the man who had been with Creek. I zoned out, and waited for the fighting to start. _

Chapter 11: Intense eyes! Zoro falls? What?

Dimly, I heard whatever Luffy and that man were talking about in the background. Then, one word became amplified in my mind.

"I DON'T WANT TO THINK ABOUT 'TAKA NO ME!'" My head whipped up from its position on my palm, a little because I knew about 'Takanome', but mostly because Zoro's aura was going off the charts in various ways, and it was very disorienting to be sitting next to. (Takanome. Isn't that the man that Honor said destroyed their ship?) I was barely listening to Billy, but I mentally nodded while trying to block out Zoro's wacky aura that was changing colors and shapes like a kaleidoscope.

"Based on your theory," I looked over at Honor, finally blocking out Zoro. "the fact that 'his eyes looked like a hawks' isn't enough evidence. But truly, if a man did something like that, it could only be 'Takanome'." He said, crossing his arms.

"Ta-takanome?" I looked over at Usopp, wondering if he had heard of the man in question. I sweatdropped when he looked to Luffy and asked;

"Who's that?"

"I dunno. Who is he?" Replied Luffy. I sighed, and was about to reply when Zoro beat me to the punch.

"He is the man I am searching for." I looked at him, confused, and he turned to me. "I'll explain later." I nodded, a little dubious. There was usually only one reason that people went looking for Takanome, and it wasn't to shake hands. Zoro turned back to Luffy and Usopp.

"From what Johnny said-" He was cut off as a chef spoke up.

"Takanome?" Said Chef1

"I've only heard of 'drunk eyes' who used to come here." Said Chef2

"Yeah, when that man drank, his eyes became very red." Said Chef3

"And then he burned himself. That was a very beautiful flame." Said Chef4. I looked at him for a moment, wondering how a man on fire could be beautiful. (Maybe he was actually a phoenix?) suggested Sharpclaw. (I think that a unicorrrrn is by farrrr morrrre likely nya.) said the new spirit. (That's it.) I said, getting up from the table. I looked over to Luffy.

"I'll be back in time for the fight, Luffy-san. Another spirit has found a home with me, and so I must-" I was cut off by him.

"But I wanted to see you do that compact thingy!" he whined.

"I think you mean 'contract'." I corrected him. He waved his hand in the air in a 'whatever' gesture.

"Yeah, that." He looked at me with wide eyes. "I wanna see!" I looked at hi for a moment before holding up a finger. (Can you please tell me your name?) I asked the cat. (Surrrre nya. My name is Pusa Gatinho nya. But of courrrrse, my little Krrrretcherrrrrr may call my just plain 'Pusa' nya.) I nodded. (Ok Pusa, do you think that you could wait until after the dust settles? My Captain wants to see me make a contract with a spirit.) I could feel Pusa purr. (Of courrrrse. And I, by the way, happen to be yourrrr firrrrst female spirrrrrit.) She faded from the link with one last purr in my direction and retreated back into her bracelet. I looked back at Luffy. This exchange had only gone on for a few seconds. Zoro was muttering about misinformation.

"Luffy-san, Pusa would be pleased to allow you to see me make a contract with her." I said. Luffy grinned his signature smile.

"Ok!" He said. I sat down and zoned out again. Unconsciously, I started to make up a poem in my head. I was also muttering under my breath, but didn't know about it.

_Somewhere_

_Somewhere, out there,_

_Something, everything,_

_Looks forward, but never back,_

_On the wings of fate._

_We fly, on those wings,_

_But, no matter how hard,_

_Or how much, that we try,_

_We will never be able, to control those wings in that sky._

_The sky is sometimes dark, sometimes light,_

_And sometimes, just sometimes, you can see the dawn's first light._

_Sometimes, it is raining, snowing, hailing,_

_But on those wings we fly, and sometimes, just sometimes, those wings let us fly._

**3****rd**** person POV**

Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp stared at Kretcher, who seemed oblivious to the fact that she had just recited a poem. Yeah, no one aside from their table, and maybe Sanji, had heard it, but they still had, and it was kind of beautiful. Beautiful, but sad. She was still staring out into space. Luffy opened his mouth, probably to ask her to recite it again, but was quickly stopped by Usopp's hand over his mouth.

"Do you want her to go all, 'don't ask me about that' again?" Usopp hissed in Luffy's ear. Luffy shook his head. "Then don't say anything. Just pretend you didn't hear it." Luffy nodded. Usopp sighed, and released Luffy. All three of them studied Kretcher for a moment.

Zoro was the one closest to her, so he had heard her best. It had sounded like the poem was aimed at everyone in the crew, though not all of them had heard it. He was a little in awe, though he carefully hid it behind a mask. He had been made to recite a poem off the top of his head once, on one of the rare days that he had gone to the town school, and ended up with everyone laughing at him. He shook his head slightly, another mystery to add to Skeleton. He also had a feeling that she hadn't told them everything about her past.

Luffy _knew_ that Skelly hadn't told them everything about her past. He started to know it right when she started the poem. He shrugged to himself. Not that he could blame her. It had only been a month and a couple weeks. He didn't expect everyone to tell him their life story as soon as they met him, though he would really like more information when his crewmates were in trouble. _Hmmm…I wonder if meat is a good idea right now? What am I thinking? Meat is always a good idea!_ And he drifted off into meatland temporarily.

Usopp stared at Kretcher. He had become fast friends with her and Luffy, but knew more about Luffy than he did her, even though she had told them her past. He remembered how she had looked troubled when she was talking about the demon. _Maybe a lie about me defeating many demons will cheer her up…_ He started to concoct a lie in his head, furrowing his brow in thought.

Sanji looked at the other simply _beautiful_ lady that was on the chore-boy's pirate crew. He had yet to learn her name, and was waiting until he could ask her himself. He had almost let his 'cool face' slip when he heard her reciting a poem. Purple-hair-chwan was soooo smart! He looked at her, more seriously this time. _I wonder if she's been starved in the last month or so…_ he wondered, taking in her too thin appearance, and the way her cheekbones really stood out. _At least there isn't a hollow where the cheeks are. By chore-boys story, he found her on a small boat in the middle of this ocean._ Unconsciously, Sanji began to prepare a meal plan that would help her to recover what she had lost.

**Kretcher's POV**

I yawned, completely not noticing the strange silence at my table. In the background, I could hear the buzzing starting up again as I reduced my hearing to almost nothing. I was staring out of the window at the huge galleon. Slowly, I let the conversation mix back into my head. Zoro was speaking.

"After I decided that I would become an invincible swordsman, I left my life behind. The only person who has the right to say that I'm crazy, is myself." He said. I glanced over, and saw that he was talking to Sanji.

"Yeah! Me too!" Luffy said with a grin, raising his hand.

"That's true for a _real_ man like me." Usopp said. I peeped under the table discretely. His legs were shaking. I giggled a little. Zoro bonked him in the head with the butt of his sword.

"Stop lying." He said. I giggled, and Sanji looked at me.

"Are you crazy too, Ms…" He paused. I smiled.

"Kretcher, and yes. I'm as crazy as the others." I leaned back against my chair, folding my arms over my chest. I had an idle smile on my face, and my eyes drooped with boredom. Sanji looked at the four of us quizzically.

"That's crazy." He said, and I almost laughed. I held it in, but allowed for a broader grin. A burly chef started to shout at us.

"YOU STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON? The ship that's docked in front of our restaurant now, is the galleon ship that belongs to Don Creek! It is also the ship of the scariest pirate in the East Blue! DO YOU UNDERSTAND NOW? YOU CAN DO ANY CRAZY THING YOU WANT AFTER YOU TAKE CARE OF THIS THING!" My eyes flickered to the galleon as I felt many faded auras spring back into their full glory.

"Might be too late to attack them while they're down." I remarked absently. Everyone looked at me, and then stared at the doors when a thunderous roar was heard. The cooks all fell into fighting positions. I stood up, and calmly walked to a window. I had felt an aura that was 10 times as strong as everyone else's, except Honor. I stared out into the sea, and didn't even flinch as the huge galleon was sliced in two. Peering closely at the horizon, I could make out a speck, a speck with one insanely large aura. I turned around and walked back to our table. Placing my hands on the table, I looked at Zoro.

"The man you are searching for has arrived, Zoro-san." They were silent for a moment before a realization struck them.

"NAMI, JOHNNY, AND YOSAKU ARE STILL ON OUR SHIP!" They shouted, and ran past me, completely ignoring what I had said. I sighed, already knowing that the ship was gone. (I assume that Nami took it.) Sharpclaw said. (Ya guessed right.) Billy answered for me. I nodded. (I guess that thing that was bothering her got too much to bear.) There was a moment of silence. (Arrrre you going to go afterrrr herrrrr yet?) Asked Pusa. I mentally shook my head. (Not yet. I have a feeling that there's something in the ocean under us that I need to see. I'll go with Luffy. He wants to fight Creek anyway.) I looked out the window. Takanome was closer than he had been before. (I might as well go out there and meet him.) I said. (…Don't let your guard down.) Billy warned me. I smiled. (Now why would Mihawk-sama want to hurt his pupils little sister?) I asked innocently, making my way outside. Billy didn't answer. I chuckled. I walked out as Zoro punched the wall, yelling something about Nami.

"Wow, Zoro-san. Overreact much?" I asked in a joking manner. He glared at me.

"How can you stay so calm? She betrayed us!" He shouted. I stared at him.

"It was bound to happen. Her promise didn't exactly specify when her teamwork with us would end." _And she's probably been gone from her hometown for too long…_ I silently added, unsure whether I should say anything about what she was going through. I decided not to. Instead, I searched the water for my brothers teacher. Luffy was speaking behind me, but I tuned him out, squinting over the water. I saw him, and ran over to that end of the dock. I waved my hand over my head as I lessened the distance between me and his coffin shaped raft.

"Hello…what was your name…Olan's little sister." He had on his poker face, but he had visited our family enough times for me to see past that. He was happy to see me. A little. A smidge. Okay, not a lot. Maybe a bit glad that I was alive. I grinned at him.

"I changed it. I'm now called Kretcher." He nodded, and I fancied that he was mentally filing that information away for use at a later date. I opened my mouth to ask something, but he cut me off.

"Do you know where my old absent minded pupil is? I seem to have misplaced him somewhere." He said. I could feel my face about to fall, but with a little effort, kept the smile plastered on my face.

"Nope! Can't say that I have. And is it possible to misplace a pupil?" I asked, but didn't get to hear the answer. There was yelling from behind me, and he pulled my arm so that I landed on his small craft. In the same movement, he pulled his sword off of his back, and deflected some bullets. _Yup, still the same scary swordsman I once knew._ I thought to myself, a little awed. Belatedly, I realized that the Creek pirates were the ones to attack us, and Zoro was standing behind them, explaining something. He looked at me, a question in his eyes, but I shook my head a little, not wanting to give up that part of my past just yet. He looked a little annoyed.

"I've never seen someone with such a gentle style before." Zoro said, switching his eyes to Mihawk. I stood up, and stepped back onto the deck of the Baratie. Behind me, Mihawk replied to Zoro.

"If a sword doesn't have gentleness, it isn't strong." I smiled to myself. That was the first lesson that he had taught Olan. I walked past Zoro, already knowing what was about to happen. Turning around at the last second, I caught Mihawk's eye. Knowing that he was fully capable of attending two conversations at once, I sent him a mental message.

_"__He is strong. Not just physically, mentally too. Give him a chance. Who knows, you might actually find someone more interesting than my idiotic brother."_ I saw him nod imperceptively, and knew that he was taking what I said into consideration. I walked over to Luffy.

"As much as I would like to view this test of manliness, Luffy-san, I have a job I have to complete below the surface." I said, indicating the ocean. He looked at the ocean with me.

"Ok." He said. "Who're you going to go follow Nami with?" He asked. I smiled, and pointed at him.

"Mainly because you would like to see me create a contract with a spirit." He grinned at me, and nodded. I waved at him, then slipped off my shoes, placing them inside the Baratie. Padding silently over to the edge, I dove in and swam down.

Searching with my mind, I found what I was looking for. A small wreck of a ship, sunk long enough ago that the wood had rotted almost all the way, leaving a skeleton of a ship. I swam up to it, then around it, and then in it. As I had thought, there were still canisters of air with the air tubes still attached. I stared at them, dubiously, wondering whether there was air, and, if so, I wondered if it was any good. (I don't think that they'll go bad over time. Especially if it's only been around 5 years…) Billy said, but I could hear the uncertainty in his voice. I rolled my eyes, and swam up to the canisters. I gripped the air tube of one of them, and turned the handle at the top of the canister. Air flew out in a rush, and I quickly turned the handle back, not wanting to waste the precious air. I tipped the canister on its side, and found the straps that strapped onto someone's back. I slipped the straps around my waist and shoulders, and slipped the end of the air tube into my shirt. Kicking off of the deck of the rotted ship, I closed my eyes, and searched for the presence I had felt earlier.

5 minutes later.

I was still floating there with my eyes closed, when I felt it. My eyes opened in a flash, and I saw it right in front of me. It was a glowing shark. I awkwardly tried to bow in the water, but only succeeded in somersaulting. I heard a small chuckle from the ancient majestic being. I straightened up again, blushing vividly. I felt a burning sensation where my lungs were located, and looked to the shark for permission. He bowed his great head in what I knew to be an 'okay' gesture. I grasped the air tube, and the knob. I let out all the breath I had been holding, and then took some air from the canister. After a few seconds, when I was sure that I hadn't been poisoned from air that had gone bad, the shark and I continued our conversation.

"_It has been too long, young _, or, should I say, Kretcher. You look much grown up now. I have no doubt that you could make a contract with me as you are now." _ He said, baring his teeth in what I knew was a friendly shark smile. I smiled back. I liked him, and he knew it.

"_That is the main reason that I have come here."_ I said, speaking truthfully. "_I did have trouble finding you though. The restaurant is in a different place than it was the last time I was here. Granted, that was 5 years ago though." _His smile broadened.

"_Well then. I do hope that you haven't given that beautiful Dolphin ring away as a home for someone else."_ I shook my head.

"_I wouldn't dare to do such a thing to your precious friends ring."_ I answered. When I had met him last, he had told me that he would make a home with me, as long as it was in his Fish-man friends {now long dead} ring. Of course, I had accepted those terms.

"_Now then. Shall we begin?"_

"I, Spirit Contractor Kretcher, do formally accept Spirit Endo as a Spirit residing in this Dolphin Ring. Do you, Spirit Endo, accept being a welcome addition to this family?"

"I do. And I pledge my allegiance, body, and powers in return for Spirit Contractor Kretcher spending energies to create a space." The magics that surrounded us were ocean blue with occasional flecks of gold and green. We had that brief moment when we were one, and then he was bound to the ring. (I shall lend you my gills so you can breathe.) He said, and I thanked him. Taking off the air canister, I set it beside its brothers. (My shark sense is tingling.) Endo said, though I didn't know if he was joking or not. I looked in the direction he indicated, and saw a sight that filled me with dread. There was debris everywhere, but that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was Luffy, in a net, and sinking through the water. I swam over to him as fast as I could, thinking with panic that I wouldn't save him on time. I reached him, and, grabbing the net, I frantically pulled upwards. I stopped his descent, but, to my dismay, I couldn't move him upwards. _Help!_ I thought, too worn out to call on my spirit family. _Help!_ A hand gripped my upper arm, and I opened my eyes, looking into Sanji's face. Relief filled me, and I frantically gestured downwards, to Luffy. Sanji looked down as well, and swam to Luffy, somehow maneuvering him out of the net. I let the net sink and followed them up to the surface, where we emerged, coughing and sputtering.

**Well, that was a hassle. My computer turned blue on me, then restarted, and I panicked when I couldn't find my chapter…Luckily, my dad recovered it for me. Thanks Dad! ****J****My mood is much better now! I'll try and get another chapter up this weekend. No promises though. Love you all! *kisses* **


	12. Chapter 12

**Ureshiitamago: *sighs*…ok guys, don't mind my bad attitude right now…GOD I HATE HOMEWORK!...sorry. but it's true. Bleh. Ok. Kretcher? If you may? Ah, also, I really appreciate reviews, so please please take the few seconds out of your day to say something, even "good.". I like reviews.**

**Kretcher: You said that already.**

**Ureshiitamago: *glares* either do the disclaimer or get out of my room…head…whatever.**

**Kretcher: *stares nervously* *clears throat* Ureshiitamago doesn't own One Piece, if she did, she would be there rather than school. She only (kind of) owns me, other OCs, and any OIs that might pop up. **

**Ureshiitamago: Thank you Kretcher. Readers, enjoy. *mutters about possibly assassinating her teachers***

**Kretcher: O.o I think she's becoming unstable…**

_(My shark sense is tingling.) Endo said, though I didn't know if he was joking or not. I looked in the direction he indicated, and saw a sight that filled me with dread. There was debris everywhere, but that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was Luffy, in a net, and sinking through the water. I swam over to him as fast as I could, thinking with panic that I wouldn't save him on time. I reached him, and, grabbing the net, I frantically pulled upwards. I stopped his descent, but, to my dismay, I couldn't move him upwards. Help! I thought, too worn out to call on my spirit family. Help! A hand gripped my upper arm, and I opened my eyes, looking into Sanji's face. Relief filled me, and I frantically gestured downwards, to Luffy. Sanji looked down as well, and swam to Luffy, somehow maneuvering him out of the net. I let the net sink and followed them up to the surface, where we emerged, coughing and sputtering. _

Chapter 12: Soup's on…the ground? What? Also bloodthirsty Fishmen…fun!

I sputtered a little less than Sanji did, and when I looked over to him, I was surprised {but not very much} to see that he was all beat up, although not as bad as Luffy was. I grimaced in empathy as I stared at Luffy's battered form. Sanji slapped Luffy's head a couple of times.

"Hey! Don't die." He said, and then stared off into space for a moment before apparently realizing I was next to him.

"Ooh! Purple hair chwan! 3 I never did get your sure to be lovely name! 3" I stared at him in panic, at a little bit of disgust. I had always hated loose men. (I think you mean boys who like to flirt with any person who has breasts.) remarked Endo thoughtfully. (That is exactly what I mean.) I said, contemplating whether or not to give ero-cook my name. I decided to. If he was going to be part of the Strawhats, she didn't want him to be saying 'purple hair chwan' all the time. That would be embarrassing.

"Kretcher. And I can take my captain now, Sanji-san." I said, holding out my hand for Luffy. He looked at me for a moment.

"No. You are malnourished. Any strenuous activity while being malnourished could ruin your absolutely divine body." He managed to look serious until 'absolutely divine body', where his eye became a heart. I glared at him and swam to the edge of the Baratie. As I reached the edge, I heard a bellow, not unlike that of a wounded bear.

"I AM THE STRONGEST!" It yelled. I recognized Don Krieg's voice before I looked up. He wasn't wearing his armor any longer. I smirked at him. Luffy must've beaten him. I tuned out the rest of his shouting as I hoisted myself out of the water, and turned around to lend a hand to Sanji. I forcibly took Luffy from him, and stuck my tongue out at Sanji as I carried him over my shoulder to a spot free of debris. I sat down next to Luffy, and watched idly as the man I had seen next to Don Krieg in the Baratie punched Krieg in the stomach, knocking Krieg out. The man looked a little worse for wear. He looked over to Luffy and I, and Sanji as Sanji sat down on the other side of Luffy, smoking a cigarette.

"Thanks for everything, Sanji-san." He said, turning away.

"Sure…don't come back again." Sanji replied. It seemed like this was a farewell. 2 chefs burst out of the doors to the Baratie. I looked over to them. They were the muscle man, and one other I hadn't seen yet.

"Hey crewman! You're poisoned!" Muscle man shouted.

"What're you doing with the person who tried to kill you?" Yelled the other. I whipped my head back to the man carrying Krieg on his shoulder.

"….Sanji-san….if he wakes up….please tell him…" The man said, completely ignoring the two chefs in the doorway. Sanji lifted his head a little bit, paying more attention.

"'See you again, at Grand Line.'" The man finished. I grinned, understanding. Sanji looked slightly astonished.

"You'll continue to be a pirate?" asked Sanji. I looked at him. (He doesn't get it, does he? The draw that Grand Line has on pirates.) I asked my spirits. Billy answered me. (Naw, he'll understand soon 'nough. Give 'im time.) I nodded mentally.

"…only thing I want to do. It seems that Captain Krieg's dream, has become mine as well." Suddenly, the man coughed up blood. I jerked in surprise, and squashed the urge to run over and help him. Doing that would mess with his pride, and I had a feeling it had been diminished enough today.

"GING!..." Sanji yelled next to my ear. I grimaced in pain, and rubbed the ear he had yelled in. Ging…so that's his name.

"I might die in the next 2 or 3 hours…It might have been shameful for me to decide when I don't have any time left to live…but this is the best decision I have made…This time, I will do anything I want to…but if I do that…I won't have any place to go…haven't I been loyal to Krieg? The truth is…that I want to escape from Krieg's power…that man," he glanced at Luffy. "has taught me that this is something that I want to do." I listened to his speech this long, and then I kind of zoned out, thinking about things.

Someone shook my shoulder.

"Hey, girl. Your captain is in the recovery room. Why don't you come out of that daze and go visit?" That gruff voice was Honor's, and I slowly blinked away the haze of thought that had covered my vision. I looked around for a moment, getting my bearings, and then stretched my arms up to the sky. It was blue. I smiled, contented, and stood up, brushing dried salt off of my outfit. I strolled into the Baratie, thanking Honor as I went. I walked upstairs, and turned down a few hallways until I heard exaggerated snoring. I grinned. I turned into the doorway to see Luffy lying in the bed, covered in bandages. Sanji was sitting in a chair near Luffy's bed, but I ignored him. I walked over to my captain, and stared at him for a moment.

"Eh, I'll wake him up later." I said, then shrugged and started to turn away. A hand grabbed my wrist before I had gone too far, and I huffed in annoyance. Sanji was _really_ starting to get on my nerves.

"Before you go, mademoiselle, I must ask you, no matter ho-" He stopped, mainly because I had placed my other hand over his mouth.

"Treat me like you would the guys. I hate being treated like a girl, and, before you ask, no. I don't like romance either. I did once, but I don't anymore." I stared at him hard, putting some power behind my next words.

"Do you understand me?" He looked at me for a moment with his one eye, and then nodded. I took my hand off of his mouth. "Ask away."

"Were you starved, say, about a month ago?" He asked. I looked at him cautiously. He didn't seem to be looking at me like he did Nami, and that made me relax a bit.

"Yes. My ship was destroyed, and I was drifting in a small dingy when Luffy-san and Zoro-san rescued me." I thought for a moment about what I had said. No, there wasn't anything unusual with a ship getting destroyed. Sanji looked at me seriously.

"You should eat more food with calories." He said. "It will give you back muscle and much needed fat." I nodded at him.

"That's what a chef's for. I like fruit and veggies, and kind of despise bread. Meat, I like meat. Meat is delicious!" I drooled a little, thinking about meat, then stopped as I realized that I was turning into Luffy. I looked back at Luffy, still snoring away.

"Why do you hate me?" Sanji asked, out of the blue. I looked at him in surprise.

"I don't hate you." I said, a little confused.

"You refused to talk to me when we first met…"

"I had a mouth full of food."

"You glared at me when I refused to let you help with carrying Luffy."

"You refused to let me help carry my Captain."

"…you told me to stop treating you like a woman."

"Being a woman has gotten me into trouble in the past, I don't want history repeating itself like it seems to do every time I get settled in somewhere." I paused for a moment, before relaxing. I hadn't told him anything that I hadn't told the others. The others knew about the Demon, but they didn't know the rest of the story, most importantly, they didn't know my _name_. My name was dangerous. Sanji was looking at me, worried.

"Trouble?" He asked. I waved a hand, dismissing the subject.

"Long story. I only tell it to my crewmates." I said.

"Why can't I treat you like a woman? I want to be a gentleman?" He said. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose.

"It's irritating, and I hate it. As for you being a gentleman, you don't need to be one to me; I am giving you a request _not_ to, actually." I said, then clapped my hands together once, signaling the end of the discussion. I walked out of the room in considerably less of a good mood than I had been in before.

One day later

I was sitting on the balcony outside of Luffy's room, leaning against the wall next to the doorway. Sanji was leaning against the railing, looking out at the sea, and smoking. We had come to a kind of truce, meeting in the middle. He would be a gentleman, but wouldn't faun over me as he did Nami. I yawned, my yawn turning into a grin as I felt my Captains aura start to move.

"WHERE'S MY HAT?" Luffy shouted, sounding very panicked.

"On the bedside table." I said.

"Ah, there it is. Thanks, Skelly." He said, and I heard a rustle. Probably him putting his hat on.

"So, you're conscious now." Remarked Sanji, still staring out at the sea. I heard a ripping sound, and assumed that Luffy was peeling off his band-aids.

"Sorry, we ran out of bandages." Sanji said.

"That's ok. I don't want any." Luffy replied, and I looked through the doorway to see him peeling off the band-aid on his forehead. I giggled, and he looked over, and then grinned back and waved. I waved at him.

"Where did they go?" Asked Luffy. There was a small pause.

"They left…because of you." Sanji said. I yawned and started to nap a little bit. Mushy stuff bothered me. I heard a choking sound, and looked up to see Luffy's stretched hand grabbing ero-cook's collar.

"I understand. I will give up." Said Luffy. I started to crack up.

"THEN WHY ARE YOU GRABBING MY COLLAR?" Sanji choked out, grabbing at the hand. I continued to laugh as if it was the funniest thing I had seen in my life. It wasn't, but it was a close second. The first was Luffy's version of our flag. Luffy walked outside and glanced at me. I winked, and turned my head in Sanji's direction. He grinned, catching the clue. Pretty soon, Luffy was sitting on the railing, turned towards Sanji. There was silence for a bit before Sanji started talking.

"Because of my situation, I can't leave this place. There's no one I can trust." _I wonder about that._ I thought, eyes shining as I looked at the two of them.

"But I've thought about going to Grand Line soon." Sanji went on. Luffy looked excited.

"Then why not go?" He asked, eyes shining as he stared at the cook he had chosen. I looked at my first 'brother', and my newer 'brother', and smiled.

"It's not the right time…" Sanji said. Suddenly, he changed the subject, and looked at the two of us, eyes shining like a little kid.

"Hey, have you two heard of the All Blue?" He asked, looking back and forth between us. I frowned, it rang a bell, but I couldn't remember.

"No.." Luffy said. Sanji looked at me, and I hesitated.

"I've…heard the name before." He nodded, excited.

"I've heard that it is a magical sea…" I looked up to the deck above us as Sanji rambled on about the All Blue. Honor was standing there, looking at Sanji with the fondness of a parent for its child. I opened a link of telepathy. In the past day, I had learned that Honor could receive messages, and send them. It was useful. _You're going to miss him, aren't you?_ I asked, turning my attention back to the two boys. I felt his gaze flick over to me before it returned to Sanji. _Like an old shoe misses the dog that chews on it._ He scoffed, but I could hear the underlying meaning to his words. I waited patiently for a little bit, and could hear him sigh mentally. _Ok. I'll miss the little eggplant._ I smiled in satisfaction. I turned my hearing up with the help of Sharpclaw, and listened to the old man talk to himself.

"You look happy. You crazy kid." He said softly. I chuckled, and turned off my hearing. I looked at the time, and got up quietly, leaving the two of them to talk. I had overheard the cooks talking about a plan, and I hoped it wouldn't work. No matter how bad Luffy wanted Sanji on his crew, I knew that he wouldn't want Sanji to join his crew _that_ way either. I walked up another set of steps, arriving at the roof of the Baratie. All Blue. I was certain I had heard that name before…but where? Suddenly, I felt a memory start to overtake me, and I sank to my knees.

_"__Uuuumm…princess _?" the boy asked. I shushed him, staring down the hallway in barely contained excitement. _

_ "__But, princess _..." he trailed off as I grabbed his hand and ran down the deserted hallway, dragging him with me. I spun around to face him when we got where I was aiming for. The kitchens._

_ "__What are we doing here?" He frantically whispered, knowing full well that the cook never slept._

_ "__We're here-" I broke off as someone with a deep voice finished my sentence for me._

_ "__For a story." I grinned and turned, then looked up, and up, and up, right into the bosom of a rather large lady. The lady bent down and I was able to see her face. The kindly face of the Cook, who normally wore a commanding aura about her. That aura had been replaced with a more gentle one, one that I knew to be the real one. I giggled, and nodded repeatedly. I turned to my unwilling companion, and smiled in encouragement. He looked at me nervously, his blond hair covering one eye, that curious swirly eyebrow visible over his uncovered eye._

_ "__What story would you like to hear princess _? Sanji?" I looked at her in excitement._

_ "__Sanji wants to be a cook!" I exclaimed. Sanji made a noise like a cornered rabbit. The cook smiled at him kindly, and I gave my friend's hand a squeeze. He looked at me, with a deer in the headlights expression. The cook knelt down to our eye level._

_ "__So. The story of the All Blue, eh?" She said, patting the boy's head. He relaxed a little bit. The cook stood up, and dusted off her apron._

_ "__Right then. It starts like this…" Our eyes grew wider and wider with amazement and wonder, Sanji's more than mine, as the story went on. After the story was over, Cook grabbed something from a bowl and handed them to us. They were stone cakes, a type of scone that could last forever, but these were freshly made. Sanji and I wandered back down the hallway. Suddenly, he stopped, and I turned to him in confusion._

_ "__Sanji? What's the matter?" I asked my friend, the only one that I had been able to keep a secret from my elder sisters. _

_ "__I…I…I want to find the All Blue." He said, timidly. I looked at him, but not in shock. He looked up at me. "I want to find the All Blue!" He said it more strongly this time, a touch of fire in his eyes. I grinned. _

_ "__Ok." I said. "When you get there, can you come back and take me there too?" He looked at me, understanding. _

_ "__Yep." He said, grinning. I grinned back, and held out my pinky._

_ "__Pinky swear?" I asked. His grin widened, and he gripped my pinky with his._

_ "__I pinky swear that if-when I find the All Blue, I'll come back and get you!" He said, and we shook on it. _

_2 months later_

_Sanji had left, just like he had left his hometown to be an apprentice cook in my kingdom. He had left on a boat, but I didn't feel lonely about losing my only friend, knowing that he would come back. Pinky swears were for life. I did feel lonely sometimes, walking down the hall to the kitchens, knowing that there was a missing aura next to me. But it was fine. Until that day._

_ "__Princess _." My father said seriously, and I looked up from my breakfast in surprise, the fork full of eggs halfway to my gaping mouth. I quickly set the fork down on the plate and straitened up. Father never called me princess before my name unless it was urgent._

_ "__Yes, father?" I asked, equally serious._

_ "__I know that you became friends with a boy who worked in the kitchens, and that's entirely all right." I nodded, not liking where this was heading. My father sucked in a breath, and all of my 7 year old self shivered._

_ "__The ship that he was sailing on? It was attacked by pirates during a storm, and the storm capsized both ships. It is unknown whether there are any survivors…I'm sorry." I stared at him, not fully understanding what he meant. When it finally hit me, a numbness spread down my spine, and my mind went blank. I looked at my food, expressionless. Remembering what Cook had told me, I ate the rest of my food, and then asked politely to be excused. I got permission, and I glided out of the room. I glided down the long, and dark, hallway, up the long stairs that seemed to go on forever, before entering my room. Once I had shut the door behind me, all pretence of calm evaporated. I slid down the door to sit on the floor, and hid my face in my knees as I started shaking with sobs. The one friend, Nakama, closest thing to a brother not related by blood, was gone. Probably dead. _

_ "__You liar." I mumbled, after I had calmed down some. "You told me you'd take me away from this place, from these two-faced people, and take me to All Blue. What happened to our pinky promise?" I lifted up my head and hand, and stared at my pinky, the one I had made the promise with. "Can I do it?" I whispered to myself. _

_I concentrated until my face was blue and by breaths were uneven. I still couldn't see it. The pinky promise that we had made. It should have been a different color aura, but it wouldn't show up. I wondered if something was blocking it, but then quickly dismissed that idea. He was dead. My other brother was dead. I stared at my room, all those bright colors, stared at it blankly. My head moved from side to side, jerkily, like it was tied to a string and being moved like an invisible hand. That was when I decided. _

I gasped as the memory ripped itself away from me. I still remembered what it was, and I couldn't believe it. Sanji, my other brother, in spirit, was alive. His goal was still the same. I frowned suddenly. Why hadn't I remembered when I saw him before? Or, at any time for that matter? Not everyone goes around with those eyebrows and that name, and that hair. In fact, it would be very surprising if there _was_ anyone fitting that description. I frowned deeper. Why didn't I remember? (Maybe you repressed those memories.) Suggested Endo. (Plausible explanation.) Agreed Sharpclaw. (I think so too.) Said Billy. (What if…) pondered Pusa, and then said something that was very alarming indeed. (What if someone _else_ errrrrased yourrrrrr memorrrrrries of this boy?) She suggested. We all went silent. (Th-the Demon maybe?) I suggested timidly. She nodded. (Verrrry plausible.) I gulped, not wanting to deal with him just yet. Suddenly, the Baratie shook, and there was yelling from below. Something about a shark and a man. (That would be our signal to go.) Billy remarked, sounding slightly shaken. I sent a wave of concern over to him. He sent a wave of comfort back.

I ran down the two sets of stairs at full speed, just in time to hear Yosaku speaking.

"The place she went is very dangerous. I'll tell you more later. We need your help, Luffy-aniki, Kretcher-aneki." Everyone turned to see me as I entered the room. I glanced at Sanji, but put away my memories in a small box for safekeeping. This conversation was about Nami. I hunkered down next to Luffy.

"I don't understand. But, ok, let's go." He said, speaking for the both of us.

"Wait." Someone said. I didn't have to turn around to know that it was Sanji. "I will go too. Please take me with you." I relaxed a bit. He was asking to go. That was always the best way. The chefs around us grew confused.

"You want to be the Pirate King, right?" He asked Luffy, and looked over to us. "That means we both have a crazy dream. I will do what I want from now on." I smiled silently, my back still turned to him. "I will become your chef, ok? So, do we have a problem?" Luffy shook for a moment, and then he leapt up and punched his fists in the air, an idiotic smile on his face.

"Alright! Excellent!" He shouted, and then he and Yosaku started to dance. I laughed, and was soon pulled into dancing with them. We spun around in a circle for a bit, and then started to dance out of the doors. _Honor, thank you for taking care of my spirit brother. I owe you one._ I said to Honor as the three of us continued to dance. I could feel his slight confusion, but he didn't say anything. We were shown a ship that was striped, and told it was Sanji's. I hopped on board and walked over to the seats on deck. I sat in one and looked out over the waves. (You rrrrrrrreally want to know if he rrrrrrememberrrrrrrs you huh.) Pusa asked me. (Oh, and this is a prrrrivate link by the way. Those nosy boys can't hearrrrrr ourrrrr girrrrrl talk.) I smiled. (It would be nice to know if he still remembered, but I was there during the talk about the All Blue, and he didn't say anything about a childhood pinky promise. I can only assume that he forgot.) I said, sadly. (…don't assume. Maybe he just didn't want to tell something that prrrrrrrivate.) Pusa said. I smiled, and thanked her for her optimism. She purred comfortingly, and disappeared back into the bracelet. I sighed as I looked out at the ocean, ignoring the sobs coming from behind me. When I did look back, Sanji was bowing to Honor, on his knees, and thanking him for the last 10 years. I silently turned back to the waves.

2 hours later

The sobbing was really starting to get on my nerves. A tick mark appeared on my forehead as the minutes passed. Finally, Luffy spoke up.

"How long will you be crying? We finished 2 hours ago. Skelly didn't even cry." Yosaku continued to cry.

"It was so very touching! Departing from the chef-aniki's!" He said, sobbing a little harder. I let out a gusty sigh.

"I thought you would've been through these types of situations many times…" remarked Sanji. He was smoking. Again. My tick mark grew larger. I sighed again and stared at the water. Hard. There was something under the sea, moving. Whatever it was, it was big. Luffy started to talk about Grand Line, and I tuned him out. I took a deep breath in, and closed my eyes, still leaning over the side. I slowly let it out to the count of 7. I breathed in to the count of 7, and then breathed out again, repeating the process over and over, imagining the stress and irritation compacting itself small and smaller, and then blowing away with the wind. My tick mark slowly disappeared.

"-lly, Skelly." Someone, Luffy, shook my shoulder. I turned to face him.

"What?" I asked, my irritation and stress gone for now.

"Don't you know Mihawk?" He asked, grinning at me. I looked at him for a moment, not comprehending. Then it hit me, and I hit my fist against my palm.

"Ah, yes. You mean my brother's sword teacher." I said, nodding. The three of them looked at me in astonishment.

"But I heard that Mihawk doesn't take students?" Said Yosaku, making it sound like a question.

"I suppose he doesn't, but this was different. An exception to the rule, if you will." I didn't elaborate any further. Instead, I looked at the sky, and hummed in thought.

"Ah, wait a second. I was talking about Jinbei." Yosaku said, and I zoned out again, already having a pretty good idea of what we were up against from Nami's aura.

"…let's eat first. What do you want?" I glanced at Sanji, who was looking at the three of us.

"Roast beef!" Luffy and I replied immediately, and then I added as an after thought, and a test,

"Stone Cake." I observed Sanji as Yosaku made his order. He stared at me, a confused and shocked look on his face. I smiled lazily at him, and then broke eye contact, staring back up at the clouds. There was some arguing as delicious aromas made their way past my nose. One in particular caught my attention. Freshly baked Stone Cake. I almost started to cry, but caught myself in time. _It's becoming harder for me to stop myself from crying…I wonder what's wrong with me._ I thought to myself as I accepted the food with a smile and dug in heartily.

We were eating, incredibly peacefully I might add, before a shadow fell over us. I looked up along with the others to see a giant cow.

"What in the world?" I asked as soon as I swallowed what I had eaten.

"I dunno." Sanji said with a shrug. "But it's huge."

**Wow. Longer than usual. Well, that's only natural. This is longer because I want to apologize for not updating last weekend. Seriously though. Please Review. I also fixed Krieg's name, finally got my stupid computer to accept that it was a word. Yes, Sanji was her best friend/not-related-by-blood brother. Not romantic, just brother/sister relationship. I repeat, There is ****_no_**** pairings in this fanfic. You can imagine it, and send me who you think that Kretcher would be good with, but I won't use them. I'll put up another chapter soon. Loves and kisses! ****J**


	13. Chapter 13

**Ureshiitamago: Whoa, hey! Another week! So fast!**

**Kretcher: …not…**

**Ureshiitamago: *cries in a corner* I wish that I could do a chapter a day, but unfortunately, I put off homework that I should do just to put ****_one_**** chapter out, so one or two chapters are all I can handle when it isn't a ****_very_**** long holiday. Like Christmas…or summer…**

**Kretcher: hmmph. Excuses. I want to get on with my past. I thought Sanji was born in the North Blue?**

**Ureshiitamago: I'm glad you brought that up. *Turns to readers* I made a mistake repeatedly in the last chapter. Both Kretcher and Sanji are from the North Blue. I had started working on the chapter at 12 in the morning, and edited it after about 3 or 4 hours of sleep after I finished it. I know this sounds like an excuse, but I will try to be good from here on. I seem to make more mistakes half asleep than I do awake…who knew…**

**Kretcher: She doesn't own One Piece, that honor belongs to Oda. She did create me, other OCs (like my family), my plot, and OIs. (Original islands) …**

**Ureshiitamago: Thank you, and enjoy! And beware of udderly punny cow puns…****J**

_"__Stone Cake." I observed Sanji as Yosaku made his order. He stared at me, a confused and shocked look on his face. I smiled lazily at him, and then broke eye contact, staring back up at the clouds. There was some arguing as delicious aromas made their way past my nose. One in particular caught my attention. Freshly baked Stone Cake. I almost started to cry, but caught myself in time_. It's becoming harder for me to stop myself from crying…I wonder what's wrong with me._ I thought to myself as I accepted the food with a smile and dug in heartily. _

_We were eating, incredibly peacefully I might add, before a shadow fell over us. I looked up along with the others to see a giant cow. _

_ "__What in the world?" I asked as soon as I swallowed what I had eaten. _

_ "__I dunno." Sanji said with a shrug. "But it's huge."_

Chapter 13: Absolutely Mooving…sorry. Wow, big flashy building…

I stared at the Sea Cow. It stared at the food. Or us. Probably didn't matter either way, we probably looked as tasty as the food. (That's Mohmoo.) said Endo nonchalantly. (Mohmoo?) I asked, curious as to how Endo knew this creature. (Yes. When I lived in the waters of Grand Line, I lived near a family of Sea Cows. I left after their 10th child was born. They named him Mohmoo.) He said. I had a feeling that he gave us the short version.

"What a big cow!" Luffy exclaimed, mouth wide in awe.

"A cow?" Asked Sanji, looking at it in slight confusion. "A cow can swim? I think it's a hippo." I looked at him, and a sweatdrop ran down my face.

"No. It's obviously a cow. Look at it's horns." I was ignored.

"WHY IS A MONSTER LIKE THIS APPEARING IN THE EAST BLUE? IT'S UNBELIEVABLE!" Yosaku shouted, looking more shocked than the rest of us were.

"Maybe it mooved." I said, trying to get someone to listen.

"IT'S A GRAND LINE MONSTER!" Yosaku yelled over me. I pursed my lips in annoyance. Mohmoo leaned closer to us, and looked at the table. Ah, _that_ was the food he wanted. It was good to know that he didn't eat people. I made my way over to the food, and picked up my stone cake. Stone cake in hand, I walked over to the Sea Cow. Yosaku was yelling about the food, and Luffy and Sanji looked ready to fight the cow. Before I could stop him, Luffy wound up his arm.

"Gomu gomu no…PISTOL!" He shouted, punching Mohmoo in the jaw. I winced in sympathy, but kept my smile on my face. I kept the smile on my face as I thwacked Luffy on the head. He held his head and looked at me in shock. Normally, Nami was the one to hit him on the head, not me. I shook my finger in his face.

"Just because a big cow turns up and looks at our food doesn't mean you can hit it." I scolded him. "He must be starving, poor thing." I looked over at Mohmoo, and held out the still warm Stone cake.

"Here, this is a Stone cake. It tastes better than it sounds." I tossed the cake into its gaping mouth. The cake was a dot compared to its tongue. Mohmoo chewed in thought, and then drooled. I heard Sanji agreeing with what I had said.

"I think he is sick, so he can't find food for himself. Am I right?" He said, then walked up to a confused (but drooling) Mohmoo, and held out a plate full of meat. "Here, eat this food." He said, and Mohmoo's mouth gaped, apparently signaling for Sanji to throw it into his mouth, as I had with the Stone cake. He also leaned in closer to make the distance needed to throw shorter. Suddenly, Sanji kicked Mohmoo on the underside of the Cows chin.

"DIE!" Sanji yelled as Mohmoo crashed into the ocean a second time. Yosaku started to yell at him.

"YOU TOLD US NOT TO HURT HIM, SO WHY DID YOU HURT HIM?" Yosaku yelled, and for once, I agreed with him completely. I tuned them out, and looked over the side of the boat to see if Mohmoo was ok. (He's fine. He's resilient.) Endo consoled me. He was right. Mohmoo crashed out of the water with a loud and indignant

"MOOOOOOOOO!?" He looked like a demon in that moment, so I wasn't as surprised when Sanji beat Mohmoo up, and made him tote our boat to where Nami was. We were going along at a slightly faster pace.

"Ne, ne, Skelly?" Luffy asked, his mouth full of meat. As he talked, the meat sprayed everywhere. I had been on the same boat with him long enough to learn how to dodge it, but the other two {Yosaku mainly} were not so lucky.

"Hmm?" I asked, not giving a proper reply because my mouth was full of Stone cake.

"Show me that thing. The….eeerrr….compact!" He finished, finally swallowing.

"You mean contract?" I said, correcting him yet again on his word choice. He nodded vigorously. I looked at my plate. It was empty, so I looked back up at him, and smiled a little wider.

"Well, I can do it now, if you like." I said, mentally asking Pusa, (Is that ok?) She purred an affirmative. Luffy was just about jumping he was so excited. I took that as a yes, and stood up. I walked over to an area that was clear of anything that could interrupt the contract. I took a deep breath, held it, and then let it out, raising my left hand in front of me. Pusa appeared before me. I hadn't gotten the time to see what she looked like before, and now was a perfect chance. She was a cheetah, with one blue eye, and one brown eye. The blue eye gave her a mischievous look. I smiled at her, and she twitched her whiskers, the feline equivalent of laughter.

"_Let us begin nya._" She said out loud, so the others could hear her.

"I, Spirit Contractor Kretcher, do formally accept Spirit Pusa Gatinho as a Spirit residing in this gold streaked bracelet. Do you, Spirit Pusa Gatinho, accept being a welcome addition to this family?"

"I do nya. And I pledge my allegiance, body, and powerrrrs in rrrrreturn for Spirit Contrrrrractor Krrrrretcher spending enerrrrrgies to crrrrrreate a space nya." The magics surrounding us this time were light green and barley yellow. The brief flash when we were one being for the span of a second revealed the strengthened friendship I and Pusa had with each other. The glow slowly ebbed away, and I yawned, my jaw cracking as I experienced the tail-end of the use of magic. (I give you speed and excellent hearrrring and smell nya.) Pusa said, and I faintly thanked her before turning to Luffy and the others. Luffy had the reaction I expected of him. He was jumping up and down, shouting about how cool I was. Yosaku was gaping at me, as I had expected of him. Sanji…was looking at me oddly. He was peering at me, and I could almost _hear_ the gears turning in his head. He opened up his mouth to say something, but I grabbed his arm and dragged him to the other side of the boat, telling Luffy that I wanted to speak with Sanji _alone_.

"Are you Princess _?" He asked, looking at me in confusion. I stared at him silently, willing him to put the pieces together himself. He stared at me closely.

"I am Kretcher." I said firmly. "I once was the person whom you are thinking about, but no longer. She died, and I lived. Do not call me by that name. It is dangerous." I said this with a threat underlying my words.

"So that's why you don't want me treating you like a woman." He said, his features softening. "You could have told me earlier you know. You are like a sister to me." I looked at him, and raised an eyebrow.

"I seem to remember that we took an oath of sibling-ship when we were younger? So therefore, I'm not _like_ your sister, I _am_ your sister." I said. He grinned, and then laughed.

"That's true! I'd almost forgotten." He said. His grin widened. "I'm your older brother than. Now I can make you eat your vegetables!" I narrowed my eyes rather comically at him.

"You sir, are only _2_ years older than me. Don't let it get to your head." We laughed, and made our way back to the others. When we got there, I hopped onto Mohmoo's head and sat down, having a conversation with him, though it felt like I was having it with myself.

"I'm sorry for the way those guys acted…" I started to say, and he moo'd sadly at me. "I feel especially responsible, because the one who beat you up the most was my brother." I felt weird claiming Sanji as my brother. Not that I didn't like calling him my brother, but family to me was the reason that my life upended on me, and I wasn't sure if I was ready to handle the demon finding me and taking my new family away again. Another flashback approached, and I fell silent, allowing it to swallow me whole.

_"__But I don't want to." I said, horrified to hear a whine enter my voice. My mother positively glared at me with hatred barely concealed in her eyes. _

_ "__You must behave like the proper little Princess I want you to be. Now, put on the clothes." She pointed at the clothing on my bed and scowled at me. We had been having this argument for an hour, and I could feel her patience, which was barely there already, start to wear thinner. I looked at the hated garment. It was a light pink, flowy dress that reached my ankles, and was fragile enough that even the tiniest bit of running would split the fabric. To other girls, it would have been heaven to wear, but I, being the tomboy I was, positively refused to wear something that would slow me down. _

_ "__It is your 10__th__ birthday. You have to." Her voice was clipped now, and I could hear the anger growing in her voice. I flinched, and walked towards the dress. As much as I hated it, I couldn't bear the thought of my mother hating me on my birthday. I wanted even the _smallest_ semblance of a normal family on a day like today. I swallowed any protests, and picked up the dress. Dad was the only one left who actually cared for me, because Olan left to chase his dream of becoming a knight. He was apprenticed to Mihawk, one of the Shichibukai, and had left with him 2 years earlier. The letters from him were brief for a while, before they stopped all together. _

_ "__That's more like it. I hate it when you don't listen, girl." My mother said, and walked out of the door. _I mustn't cry, I mustn't cry. _I repeated over and over to myself, like a mantra that kept me moving. I stopped when I realized that my eyes were as dry as when I had gone to bed the night before. I blinked, wondering if I was finally becoming used to mothers continuous reluctance to say my name. I slipped on the dress, frowning a little at the restricted movement, but plastered a smile on my face. Edwina, my maid, walked into the room to put up my hair. _

_ "__Well, Princess _, happy birthday." She said in her gentle voice. I felt tears prick my eyes finally, and blinked them back, trying to will the dryness from earlier to regain control of my tears. _

_ "__Thank you, Eddy. And I thought that you always called me _-chan?" I asked quizzically, trying to catch her eyes in the mirror. She evaded my gaze. I kept my smile on my face, although it was shaking, and mentally twisted my mind. Her aura popped up in my line of sight. It was a deep navy blue. The color of sadness and guilt._

_ "__I am so sorry, Princess _, but I cannot call you that any longer." She said, and I could tell that she was holding back tears. I kept my smile up, even though I felt my face try to collapse into depression. I had been told by Eddy once that my smile was the one thing keeping people from despairing of their Queen and older princesses. _

_ "__Mother?" I asked, and that one word led Eddy to abandon my hair and start crying into her hands._

_ "__Sh-she told me that if I called you that ever again, she would kick my family and I out of the country." She said between sobs. I felt coldness rob my body, just as it had when Dad had told me of Sanji's death. I could no longer feel the smile on my face. Indeed, when I looked into the mirror, it was gone. Edwina soon recovered, and didn't look at my in the mirror as she finished sweeping my hair up into a bun, and pinning it in place with an opal pin. Still mute, I sat as she walked out of the door, and sat as I heard the bustle of servants setting up the party. The fake party. (Do you want them dead?) A voice said in my head. I started in fright, and looked around for the culprit. I didn't have to look far. He was standing behind me, in the mirror at least. When I turned around to look behind me, he wasn't there. (Oh no young one.) He said, and chuckled. I felt shivers travel up and down my spine. I didn't like that laugh, not one bit._

_ "__What do you want, Demon?" I asked, for that was what he was. He looked like what everyone thought a demon looked like, except for more so. He looked _real_. He chuckled again, and my dislike for him grew. (I know that these people don't think of you as family, and nor, I think, does anyone _else_ think of you as family. Except for maybe that quaint little boy who so unfortunately _died_.) He sneered the last part, and I stiffened in horror. _

_ "__What are you talking about? Of course we're family. I was born into this family, wasn't I? Go away, and don't come back." I said, swelling up in anger. Just because _they_ didn't treat me like family, doesn't mean that _I_ thought of them as family. The demon was silent for a moment. (So be it.) I could hear the danger in his voice, the underlying threat. I fell over my chair backwards as his taloned hand emerged out of the glass, creating ripples as though he was moving through water. One of the talons touched my throat, and I doubled over as pain racked through me._

I blinked out of the memory as I heard screaming coming from behind me. I looked around in confusion for a moment, and then saw that no, we were not inside something that was blurry, but were instead moving at such a fast pace that I just couldn't see the scenery. I looked back at Luffy, Sanji, and Yosaku from my vantage point on Mohmoo's head, and yelled at them.

"I see Arlong Park!" And it was true. On an Island that I had spotted, there was a big gaudy building, with the words 'Arlong Park' painted so obviously on the side. Mohmoo turned to the right, and headed away from Arlong Park.

"HEY, YOU'RE HEADING THE WRONG WAY! GO LEFT" Screamed Sanji from behind me. I leaned against one of Mohmoo's horns.

"GO TO THAT BUILDING!" Shouted Luffy.

"WE'RE GOING TO HIT THE CLIFF!" Yosaku shouted, obviously scared, then, the 3 men started panicking. I peered into the trees. Something moss green was moving at a terrific speed up into the air, and in the direction of Arlong Park. My eyes widened as I realized who it was we were about to ram into.

"WATCH OUT, ZORO-SAN!" I yelled, jumping back into the boat behind me as Mohmoo made a sudden dive into the sea, snapping the rope that bound us to him, and leaving us to our own devices as we continued our headlong, breakneck course to Zoro. He looked at us, his eyes wide. In other circumstances, I would've laughed at the face he made, but right then, I was more worried on how we were going to stop. I grabbed the side of the boat, and held on for dear life as we slammed into Zoro, and then into a forest.

I groaned as I sat up. (Arrrrre you ok nya?) Pusa asked, her question soon echoed by the others. (Yeah.) I answered. (Just buried under debris. Piece of cake. Happens all of the time.) I said sarcastically. (No need to be sarcastic, young lady.) Billy said in his 'father' voice. (Really, are you ok?) Sharpclaw asked, sounding worried. I softened a little bit. (Yes, I'm just stuck under one or two boards. I landed on the ground too, so my back is going to be one big bruise tomorrow.)

**[A/N: Nope, she doesn't land on anyone. ;)]**

"Skelly?" Luffy asked, looming over me. "Are you ok?" I looked up at him mildly.

"I certainly love being trapped under boards. I'm just fine." I said, attempting to move the boards off of me. (Here) Billy said, and strength surged through me. The boards fell to the side as I stood up. (Thanks.) I said to Billy. He grinned at me mentally. (No prob. Be more careful next time.) I snorted. (Yeah yeah, whatever you say father.) The spirits laughed, and faded back to their homes, assured that I was fine. I looked around, frowning at something.

"Where's Usopp-san and Johnny-san?" Luffy and I asked at the same time, although Luffy had left out the –san. We looked at Zoro, who was all by his lonesome. I wondered if he had 'lost' them.

"Speaking of Usopp," Zoro, said, standing up, and moving in the direction of Arlong Park again. "I have to hurry now."

"What happened, Zoro-san?" I asked, dread settling over me against my will, though I kept my smile in place.

"Arlong has captured him. If we don't hurry, he'll be killed." Zoro said.

"HE WAS ALREADY KILLED!" Yelled a voice. My smile twitched, threatening to come off. We looked over to see Johnny standing just behind where our boat had crashed. "You are too late." He added. My smile fell a little bit, but still hung on. Maybe he was mistaken. (Why don't you check and see if his aura is gone from the Island?) Suggested Endo. I tried to do as he told, but I felt too emotionally shaken to focus on it. I just couldn't believe that one of my Nakama was dead, so I tried not to. I tried not to let my smile fall, but Johnny's next words defeated my will to keep smiling.

"USOPP-ANIKI WAS KILLED BY NAMI-ANEKI!" He shouted. My smile wiped itself from my face. _It can't be…not Nami…_I stood there blankly as Luffy shouted at Johnny, saying that he was lying. Johnny protested, he had seen it with his own eyes. I snapped out of blankness as Nami approached.

3rd person POV

Nami looked at them all, the ones she had called Nakama for a while. She had liked traveling with them, and thought that it might've been fun to travel with them again, if they would still let her. She looked around until she noticed the other girl crewmember. Kretcher. The one that had just about told Nami that she knew her secret. The one who always had a smile on her face, except for when she had been fighting Kuro. There was no smile there now, and the emotion that was on the younger girl's face was hard to describe. It looked a lot like dread and…coldness? Why did she look so cold. She wasn't looking at Nami, she was looking at the ground. Nami's frown grew larger.

Kretcher POV

"Who is your friend, Luffy?" Nami asked, placing a hand on her hip. I didn't raise my eyes up from the ground. The coldness that had overtaken me had enabled me to concentrate just enough to find the aura that I needed. Now, I was cold for a reason other than a Nakama being possibly dead.

"What are you doing here?" Nami continued. I finally looked up, and noted her fashion choice. Gone were the t-shirts. She was now wearing a green spaghetti strap top. Showing off an Arlong tattoo on her left shoulder. I noticed with interest that she had a glove on only one hand. _I wonder why…_I thought suspiciously. If it was for the reason I thought it was, I had even more of a reason to be angry at the person whom I had chosen to be angry at.

"Why are you asking?" Luffy replied. "You are my Nakama, so I came to take you with us.

"You give me such a headache." Nami said, crossing her arms. "Nakama? Don't make me laugh. All you need is someone who can give you a hand, am I right?" I frowned. I remembered myself saying something like that to Billy. Different words, but same meaning. 'Go away, I don't want you to die.' I looked at Luffy, who seemed a little shocked by Nami's words. Sanji chose that moment to try and butt in. I decided to ignore my incredibly weird older brother.

"I TOLD YOU THAT THIS WOMAN IS EVIL-HEARTED!" Johnny yelled. "IN ORDER TO GET ALL THE TREASURE UNDERNEATH HER HOMETOWN, SHE JOINED ARLONG AND IS WILLING TO KILL ANYONE!" My body moved of its own accord. When I came to my senses, Johnny had a red hand-shaped print on his cheek.

"I have seen evil itself." I said. "Evil doesn't stab their own hand to help a friend survive. Evil doesn't try to warn people away from danger. Evil destroys, completely and utterly." I sounded cold, and I felt cold when saying this. It was true. I had seen evil, but Nami wasn't evil, she was sad and lonely. She was also trying to do the impossible. Johnny and the others stared at me. I looked at Nami.

"Evil doesn't try to shoulder a burden alone for the sake of those close to it." She seemed to snap out of it then.

"I will return your ship to you." She said, looking at Luffy. "Just get out of here and find a new navigator, or One Piece, or whatever you want to do." Luffy was unusually silent. I looked at him. The brim of his strawhat was covering his eyes, so I couldn't see what he was thinking. Suddenly, Nami started to shout.

"GET OUT OF HERE, YOU'RE STARTING TO PISS ME OFF!" We looked at her, mildly surprised. "Goodbye."

"Nami…" Luffy said. I looked at him, wondering what he was going to do. He fell over, and lay on his back, staring at the sky. _Luffy?_ He put his hands behind his head, and closed his eyes.

"I'm going to sleep here." He said, and a small smile worked its way onto my face. I knew what he was doing now. Johnny and the others got worked up, but Luffy silenced them.

"I've never thought of getting off this island, and I don't care about what happens here. Besides, I feel a little sleepy. I will sleep now." He said. My smile broadened until it was back to its former self.

"STOP PLAYING AROUND! YOU'LL GET KILLED!" Nami yelled at him. I looked at her seriously.

"Well, now that our Captain has decided to rest here, we cannot very well leave now, can we?" I asked her, tilting my head to the side. She glared at me, and ran off. I smiled as I heard Luffy start to snore. (I am amazed at his ability to sleep nya.) Pusa said, sounding extremely amused. (Those snore's could make fruit fall off of a tree.) Billy said. (Indeed!) Sharpclaw agreed. Endo laughed. I looked over at the others. Johnny and Yosaku were talking to Zoro, then, for a reason I could only think of as cowardice, they ran off. Meanwhile, I could feel the aura that I was keeping tabs on grow closer.

5 minutes later

I watched in amusement as Sanji and Zoro started to argue about something. From the conversation they had been having, I thought that maybe it was because of a misunderstanding. The aura grew closer as the two of them started to glare at each other and wind up to start fighting. A sense of foreboding hit me, and I sat up straight and drew breath to warn Usopp. I was too late.

"Are you ok Usopp?" I asked as I poked his cheek as he lay on the ground, face down, legs twitching in midair. I looked up at the two culprits. "I think he really is dead this time." I mused.

**Wow. Ok. That was longer than the last chapter. Hmmm. Well, I hope you like it! Rate and Review please. Especially review. I love reviews. I get sparkles of happiness when there are reviews. Loves and kisses!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Ureshiitamago: *grins thoughtfully* I think Arlong park has some of my favorite chapters in One Piece! I can't wait to beat u-I mean, put my OC in a danger-fun situation!**

**Kretcher: O.O I am beginning to regret signing up with you…**

**Ureshiitamago: XD Wahahahahahaha! And I think I can get another chapter after this one up too! So I'm really happy! XD**

**Kretcher: …I'll do the disclaimer since she seems too preoccupied with the amount of time she has for a bit…**

**Disclaimer; Ureshiitamago doesn't own One Piece, that joy belongs to Oda.**

**Luffy: I'm back! Who's Oda?**

**Kretcher: Apparently, he's the one who's writing and drawing the Manga.**

**Luffy: Oh…is there meat?**

**Ureshiitamago: In the fridge.**

**Luffy: Yaaaay!**

**Ureshiitamago: Don't eat all of it. *turns to readers* I hope you like!**

_I watched in amusement as Sanji and Zoro started to argue about something. From the conversation they had been having, I thought that maybe it was because of a misunderstanding. The aura grew closer as the two of them started to glare at each other and wind up to start fighting. A sense of foreboding hit me, and I sat up straight and drew breath to warn Usopp. I was too late. _

_ "__Are you ok Usopp-san?" I asked as I poked his cheek as he lay on the ground, face down, legs twitching in midair. I looked up at the two culprits. "I think he really is dead this time." I mused. _

**Chapter 14: Usopp is alive! Or…is he? Angry words and a busted door.**

Luffy was finally awake, and had seen Usopp lying on the ground. Before I, or the other two, could say anything, he was at Usopp's side, and, looking panicked, he was shaking Usopp to the point where Usopp's head was whipping back and forth. It was a rather comical sight, though I pitied Usopp.

"Usopp! Did Nami do this to you?!" He shouted as he shook Usopp. Usopp, looking very dead, didn't say anything.

"No Luffy-san, it was them." I said, pointing at Zoro and Sanji. Usopp opened his eyes, and Luffy stepped back. Usopp's face was priceless. His eyes were bugging out, and his teeth were pointy.

"Luffy! You're here too?" Usopp said.

"Yup!" Luffy replied, smiling. Sanji stepped up, and held his hand up.

"I came too! Hi!" He said with a smile. Usopp seemed to grow more angry.

"SOMEDAY, I WILL KILL YOU!" He yelled at Sanji. I laughed, and he turned to me. He smiled.

"Hi Kretcher!" He said. I smiled back at him after I regained my composure.

"Hello Usopp-san." I replied. He grinned, and turned back to Luffy.

"The problem is Nami. She's the one who saved me. I think that there may be some reason why she joined the Fishmen Pirates." He said. My smile lowered a few watts. I could already hazard a good guess as to what her reason was, but I suspected that Luffy didn't want to hear any reasons. So I didn't say anything. (Do ya' think that's wise?) Billy asked. (I think so.) I answered. (I think that Nami should be the one to tell us herself, if she chooses to. Luffy can be pushy, but he has a head on his shoulders. He only made me tell them my story because he knew that I wouldn't tell of my own free will. Ever.) The four spirits sent a wave of understanding. (I would like to strrrrretch my legs nya. Could I become a stuffed animal nya?) Pusa asked. I mentally nodded my consent, and in a flash of light, she was a cute little stuffed cheetah sitting on my shoulder. No one noticed. A blue haired girl with tattoos appeared in front of us.

"It's hopeless. There's nothing you can do against Arlong's system." She said. I frowned. Did she really think that poorly of the Strawhats? The boys were making their own observations next to me.

"Nojiko." Usopp said.

"Who's that?" Luffy asked Usopp, pointing at who I now knew to be Nojiko.

"Nami's sister." Usopp replied. My jaw dropped. _Really? _I thought. _They look nothing alike!_

"Nami-swan's sister! No wonder she's so beautiful!" Cried Sanji, his eye becoming a heart, and his spinny legs showing. I sighed, and resisted the urge to face-palm.

"What do you mean by that?" Zoro asked Nojiko, alluding to what she had said earlier.

"Please, don't get involved in our business. I will tell you everything if you leave." Nojiko said, planting her hands on her hips. I frowned, and looked at Luffy.

"I don't want to listen to that, because I don't care about her past. I'm going to take a walk." He said. I turned to go with him.

"I'm going with you, Luffy-san." I said, and he nodded to me.

"Take a walk?" Usopp called after us. "You guys don't want to know about her past?"

"No, I don't." Replied Luffy.

"Already know most of it." I called over my shoulder. They stared at me bug eyed for a moment before turning back to Nojiko. Luffy and I walked until they were out of sight.

"You know most of it?" Luffy asked me curiously. I put my hands behind my head and laced my fingers together, effectively cradling my head.

"Yup." I said, popping the 'p'. He looked at me. "I'm not going to tell you." I assured him.

"Good." He said with a huff. We had entered the village as we were talking. There was a weird aura in the air that immediately put me on guard. People were whispering all around us, and were looking in the same direction. Luffy didn't stop, so neither did I. We moved to the side of the crowd, and then stopped, and looked at the spectacle in front of us with our jaws hanging. There was a man in what looked like brown military-like clothes, and he had a pinwheel on his hat. I just barely noticed the Navy men behind him. There was another weird person next to him, who looked like a rat.

"_Can I eat the rrrrrrat nya?"_ Asked Pusa the stuffed cheetah, sitting on my shoulder. (No!) Billy, Sharpclaw, and Endo yelled at her. Luffy summed up my thoughts very neatly.

"Why does that man have a pinwheel on his head?" He asked, still gaping at the pinwheel-man.

"I don't know." I mused, staring after them. I did a mental twist with my brain. _Maybe it's just coincidence that they're heading in the direction of Nami's aura…_I thought to myself, trying to convince myself that everything would be okay on the Nami front. The bad feeling that had been growing throughout the time that we were here {however short}, burst through me with a pang. My face dropped, and probably looked absolutely horrified. For a split second, I caught a glimpse of rat-mans memory in his aura.

_A fishman with a spikey nose and long chin, whom I highly suspected was Arlong, was talking to a marine._

_ "__I know something that is right up your alley." He was saying. "There is this girl in the village next to here, called Kokoyashi, she goes by the name of Nami. She is a thief, and has managed to steal 100 million Beri."_

I gripped Luffy's arm.

"Something is wrong." I said in a tight voice. He looked at me in confusion.

"What? That there is a pinwheel on a guy's hat?" He asked. I shook my head in frustration, but that fleeting glimpse was of something that I didn't think was possible to see in the first place. Someone else's memory. I had been told that it was impossible to see someone else's memory in an aura reading. So, I decided to ask my spirits. (Did you see anything, Billy?) I asked. (Nothin' except fer the aura.) He sounded concerned. (Sharpclaw?) (I would like to say yes, but I only saw the same thing as Billy.) He said with regret in his voice. (…Endo?) (…I'm sorry…) I looked at Pusa, who was still sitting on my shoulder, her beaded brown eye and blue eye staring after the disappearing marines.

"_…__I'm looking…but even _I _don't have enough powerrrrr to see a memorrrrry in an aurrrrra nya. I'm sorrrrrry nya…"_ She said in a truly regretful voice. I reluctantly put down that imagined sight, and turned back to Luffy, plastering a smile on my face. It was the same one as before I met them, and they made me talk, but it would have to do. Pusa jumped onto his hat, and then onto his shoulder, and rubbed her cheek against his, and purred.

"Wow! A…stuffed animal? How does it do that?" He said, grabbing Pusa and holding her up so he could see her. He stopped, and peered closely at her. "Isn't this that…uuuhhh…merit that you made a compact with?" He asked, and I couldn't help it this time. I face-palmed.

"Spirit, and contract. Not merit and compact." I said, even though I knew that correcting him, at this point, was entirely useless. He looked at me and grinned.

"Yeah, that!" He exclaimed. I sighed, and nodded conformation. He pointed over to a nearby shady spot. "Let's sit down over there and wait for that pinwheel guy to come back!" He said. I nodded again, that same feeling gnawing at my gut. Something was off, and it felt vaguely familiar. I sat down by him, and just in time. As soon as I sat down, I was overwhelmed by a memory.

_The Demon's talon touched my throat, and I doubled over, screaming as pain racked through me. (I set a curse on you.) It said icily. (You will never have a family, even one that doesn't have any blood relation. You will be all, all alone, with no one to love you like a family.) It sneered at me. It then started laughing, and my gut wrenched in pre-shadowing horror. (And it will last forever and a day!) Its face loomed closer to mine. I couldn't move away. (It starts now. Watch your so called family meets its end.) It disappeared back through the glass. Then the screaming started. _

"-kelly?" Luffy asked, shaking my shoulder. I blinked at him, a smile on my face.

"Yes?" I asked innocently. My memory flashes were getting closer and closer to what I didn't want to remember. He pointed down the street.

"The pinwheel guy is back." He said. I looked over to where he was pointing. He was indeed back, and he was with Nami. He was also carrying someone with very familiar blue hair…Nojiko…I bolted upright as dread filled me. Maybe that hadn't been my imagination after all. I watched in silence as Luffy walked over to Nami, and asked something, whereby she yelled at him, with the most angry look on her face, one that could rival the demon's angry face. She grabbed the front of his shirt, and yelled louder so I could hear her.

"IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" She yelled in his face, voice cracking several times. "GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" She threw him to the side and bolted in the direction of Arlong park. I stood up and walked over to Luffy, picking up Pusa, who, up 'till Nami had grabbed him, had been sitting on Luffy's shoulder. I sat down next to my captain, and wordlessly picked up his hat that had fallen off of his head. Luffy took it from me with thanks, and then sat against a tree. He had a pouty look on his face.

"What's up with her?" He asked, making a 'poo poo' sound. I stayed quiet. Around us, the villagers were rallying to fight Arlong in the name of Nami.

"Ne…Luffy-san?" I said, looking down at my knees, my hair shading my eyes, smile still on my face. He looked at me, one of his eyebrows raised. I gulped. "I think…I know why Nami was mad…" I said. "I think I knew before it happened, and I could've done something about it…" He just looked at me, uncomprehending.

"I don't understand." He said. My heart sank a little, but I kept my smile on my face. I should've known better than to ask him. And I should've known better than to try and make a family. The Demon's words came back to me in full force.

_You will never ever make a family, blood related or otherwise._

I decided not to become too close, for their sakes, and for mine. I blocked the protests from my spirits, sending the message, (This is my decision, and I don't want to see them all die because of my feelings.) It shut them up. I smiled at Luffy.

"Never mind." I said. "I'll fight enough to try and make up for my mistake." He still looked confused, but nodded. A collective cry rose from the crowd of villagers.

"WE WILL FIGHT!" They shouted. I mentally asked Pusa if I could borrow her hearing to hear what the pinwheel man was saying. She consented, and my hearing burst into new heights. I focused on the pinwheel man.

"8 years ago, we all made a vow that as long as Nami was happy, we wouldn't give up our lives. Even though we had to be under their control, we would be patient. BUT THIS IS THEIR ANSWER!" he yelled. "THERE IS NO WAY THAT THEY'LL LET OUR VILLAGE GO! WE DON'T HAVE ANY HOPE LEFT! AFTER ALL, THEY JUST WANT TO PLAY WITH NAMI'S FEELINGS! WE CAN'T FORGIVE THOSE FISHMEN! ANYONE WANT TO OBJECT?!" There were a series of people yelling about 'beating the fishmen's butts'. One shout stood over the crowd.

"WAIT!" Nami shouted. She was breathing hard, and her face was shadowed, and then she looked up. She had the same face I normally wore most days. The smile that was so practiced, to the inexperienced eye, it looked real. "Everyone please be patient! I'll try to collect the money again, okay? It won't be as difficult this time!" Her smile looked almost genuine, but the way everyone looked at her, they all knew it was a fake. Pinwheel man started crying. He walked up to her, and then pulled her into a hug.

"That's enough. You knew that nothing was helping. It must've hurt to join them. But it's been a very good fight for you, the girl who always fights alone for us. You've fought well." I peered closer with Pusa's eyes, and my eyes widened. Nami was crying.

"Gen-san…" I assumed that 'Gen-san' was pinwheel man's name. I looked at her crying face, and felt an indescribable anger course through me. It was the same anger that I had felt before I had fought Kuro. I was brought out of my musings when Nami whipped out a knife and pointed it at her townspeople.

"If you go, you'll be killed!" She said, looking scared and determined.

"We know." Gen-san said. He grabbed the blade of the knife, and I winced in sympathy to how much that probably hurt.

"Nothing will help!" Shouted an old man with a white cross on his bandana.

"Nami!" Nojiko said, now bandaged.

"GET OUT OF OUR WAY, NAMI!" Shouted Gen-san. Nami collapsed to the ground as the townspeople walked by her, looking extremely angry.

"LET'S GO EVERYONE! EVEN THOUGH WE CAN'T WIN, LET'S SHOW THEM OUR PRIDE!" Gen-san yelled as he and the townspeople marched towards Arlong park. Nami sat there, trembling for a minute or two, before taking a hold of her shoulder. She looked at her tattoo with a murderous gaze, and gripped her skin tighter and tighter.

**3****rd**** person POV**

"Arlong!" She said in a strangled voice as tears flowed down her face. She grabbed the knife that had been lying in front of her, and plunged it into her shoulder with the tattoo, over and over, screaming 'Arlong!' each time it sank into her arm. She had stabbed herself three times, and was about to stab herself a fourth, when she suddenly found that she couldn't budge her hand that was holding the knife. She looked over her shoulder to see Luffy.

"Luffy…!" She said. He was holding the knife, and looking at her with an unreadable expression on his face. Kretcher was behind him, the smile on her face, but it looked like an angry smile, the smile that Kretcher had shown Kuro before she had kicked his butt. Nami dropped the knife, and looked at the ground, tears still flowing.

"WHAT IS IT NOW?" She yelled. She was going to lose her home, her family. "YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" Her anger raised a notch when he responded.

"No. I don't know anything." It was a completely calm voice. She gritted her teeth in anger. Why couldn't they see that she was trying to keep them from dying? She scraped some gravel from the ground, and threw it behind her, violently at first, but then stopped.

"It's none of your business! I TOLD YOU TO GET OUT!"

"Yes, you told me." He replied, still calm. She couldn't stop a sob from escaping. She covered her face with her hands, sobs still escaping her throat. She cried in front of them for a few more minutes, and then looked behind her timidly. Images of them fighting for Usopp's sake, for Chouchou's sake, flashed in her mind. They were the last ones she could turn to.

"Luffy…" She started, voice weak sounding and pleading. "Help me…" She looked at him, face scrunched up in sadness and helplessness. He didn't say anything for a few seconds, and she realized that Kretcher had left. He lifted up his hand and placed it onto his hat. Then, he lifted his hat off of his head, and placed it onto hers. It covered her eyes. She grabbed the brim to keep it on her head, and looked at him. He was facing away from her now, and sucked in a deep breath, and then straitened up, shouting at the sky.

"OF COURSE WE WILL!" He shouted. She gasped as images flashed through her head. Luffy was always protective of his treasure. She looked up, to see him walking towards 4 figures. It was Usopp, Sanji, Zoro, and Kretcher. She felt glad that the other woman hadn't deserted her.

**Kretcher POV**

"Let's go." Said Luffy, looking strangely bare without his hat. His face was the most serious I had ever seen. Pusa evaporated back into her bracelet.

"Yeah." The 4 of us replied, and we walked next to Luffy in the direction of Arlong park.

**[A/N: No, it doesn't end here, keep reading! Though that ****_would_**** be a good cliffhanger…]**

We walked past the townspeople who were barred from entering Arlong park by Johnny and Yosaku. They were beaten up. They moved aside for us, and Luffy bashed the doors in, completely descimating them

"Which one of you is Arlong?" He asked. The one who I had seen in the memory looked over at us. His nose really _was_ that pointy. There was someone standing behind him who really caught my interest. He was a human, with an expressionless face, but beautiful, like a doll. His eyes, when he looked at me, were as dark as an abyss. I involuntarily shuddered. He had long blue hair tied in a pony-tail, looked to be about 6', and was wearing a Chinese men's dress, black with a blue dragon on the front. He wore one earring, and one necklace. The earring was obsidian, and the necklace was the same. I knew instantly that he was also a spirit contractor. He looked at me, no expression on his face, and then disappeared. Not like Kuro, who was just moving extremely fast, but literally, disappeared. I felt a slight presence behind me, and dropped to the ground, feeling a whoosh of air just above my head. I flipped around and saw that he had a buccaneer type sword. He pointed it at me. (I need speed soon) I called to Pusa. (You got it wheneverrrr you want nya.) Pusa replied. I looked over to Luffy.

"I found my opponent. Don't wait up." In a flash of light green and barley yellow light, I morphed into Pusa. We dodged the man's swinging sword, and bounded past the townspeople, only stopping to check if he was following _us_ and not trying to kill the townspeople. He wasn't, and we started running faster. We tried to find any open space that didn't look like it would collapse after a spirit battle. Eventually, after a lot of running, we found an open field. We ran in the middle, and a red and brown light encased us, and I took Billy's form. We turned to face our opponent.

"What's your name?" We asked, our double speech grating, even to our ears. We were compatible, but our voices never matched up. The man flipped his sword in an intricate pattern.

"…Rody." He said, before running at us. We grinned savagely.

"We are Billy and Kretcher. Pleased to meet you, now kindly get yourself knocked out." The man smiled minutely.

"…No." We laughed, and dodged his swinging sword.

"Man of few words, eh?" We said, finally hitting the sword with our spiked knuckle gloves, resulting in the sword shattering. Rody's eyes widened the tiniest bit. "That'll soon change." We finished darkly, smile gone from our face. Our face, as it was now, was very menacing when it was glaring, as it was doing. Rody seemed to shiver just a bit.

"…there is a reward out for your life among the spirit contractors." He blurted. "'kill on sight', he said." We looked at him in interest.

"Who?" We asked. He looked at us nervously.

"A-a man who looks like you. Well, the normal you." We narrowed our gaze at him. Just a moment ago, he had been cool and collected. Where was the trap? We heard something behind us, and jumped up in time to avoid being split in half by a scorpion's tail. A very _large _scorpion's tail. Our eyes widened in appreciation of the size, only to grunt in pain when the tail whipped us to the ground. Billy faded. (Mother? I think Daddy had a rough day.) I remarked, trying to make the situation better as the scorpion loomed in front of me, poised to strike. Sharpclaw chuckled. (Mummy's coming dear.) He said, and we transformed. We leaped into the sky as the tail crashed into where we were previously. We let out a battle screech and dove down, ripping our claws into the cracks in its neck armor where its head met its body, the scorpions' only weakness. We were rewarded with a screech as the scorpion fell to the ground, shuddered, and disappeared in a blue red light. We looked over at Rody, who was on his knees, and clutching his heart.

"I-I'm dying!?" He gasped, and we looked at him in alarm, mixed with some suspicion. He had tricked us the last time, but fool us once, shame on us, fool us twice…

We flew down closer to him, but not too close. We looked at him closely. His face was drawn and pale, and his breath was ragged. Suddenly, he sat up, ridgedly. His face was drawn in a terrible sneer, and he looked at us with contempt.

"You thought that you could escape my curse?" I gasped in fright, falling on my bottom. I had been shocked out of my transformation. I'd know that voice anywhere. It was the demon.

**Nooow it's a cliffhanger. *evil grin* I hope you like! Loves and kisses to all you lovies! Mwa mwa! And cookies! (::) (::) I'll get another one up soon! (Like maybe in two days, but I'm not promising anything…) Bye now!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Ureshiitamago: XD whooooohooooo! 2 in one weekend!**

**Kretcher: It's about time you stepped up your game…**

**Ureshiitamago: Whoa. Today, you are really strict for some reason…**

**Kretcher: D: shut up and type! I want to know what that blasted Demon wants from me!**

**Ureshiitamago: XD that was a really bad cliffhanger, wasn't it…**

**Kretcher: YOU THINK?!**

**Ureshiitamago: eep! DON'T KILL ME! Disclaimer! I don't own One Piece, Oda the magnificent does! *Dies***

**Kretcher: …enjoy…**

_We flew down closer to him, but not too close. We looked at him closely. His face was drawn and pale, and his breath was ragged. Suddenly, he sat up, ridgedly. His face was drawn in a terrible sneer, and he looked at us with contempt._

_ "__You thought that you could escape my curse?" I gasped in fright, falling on my bottom. I had been shocked out of my transformation. I'd know that voice anywhere. It was the demon. _

**Chapter 15: The Demon appears, another disappears, and we celebrate…most of us anyway**

The Demon grinned at me, reached forward, and touched my forehead. Images flashed through my head, Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, all dead.

"This," The Demon said with an elated chuckle, "is what will happen to you new 'family' on the next Island." He disappeared with {and I know this is cliché} the most sinister laugh I had ever heard. My trembles turned to shudders, and my shudders turned into barely held back dry eyed, heart wrenching sobs. My spirits appeared before me, on their own decision. Billy wrapped me up in a hug, as did Sharpclaw and Pusa. Endo hovered above us, sending me waves of comfort. We stayed in that position until I had calmed down.

"Why does It torment me by taking the people I love?" I asked them. "If it didn't want me around, why not kill me?" I was looking at them sadly, and they looked at each other. The other 3 looked at Billy, who looked at me.

"_Maybe he can't touch you himself, so he has to make others drive you to do the unthinkable, or have others go after you."_ Billy said, though he didn't sound sure. Sharpclaw tried to comfort me by preening my hair.

"It said that what I saw would happen on the next Island." I said hesitantly. "What should I do?"

"_Whatever you think is right. And keep in mind that the people you are traveling with care about you."_ Endo said. I thought for a moment.

"I'll go with them. And I'll try to stop whatever's about to happen on the next Island. Even if it costs me my life." I said, determined now that I had a plan.

**[A/N: I'm not making her a Marie Sue, btw, and the next island pertains to her past. I wouldn't kill off my favorite OC, so bleh. XP]**

They looked at each other again, seemed to come to a silent understanding, and without saying anything, flashed back into their homes. I stood up, and started walking back in the direction I had come from. Once I was out of the trees, I looked for the sun. I must have been in the glade for longer than I thought, because the sun was lower than it had been. I frowned, and started to jog back in the direction of Arlong park. I winced as I ran, being hit by a scorpion's tail isn't a walk in the park, and both my front and back felt like on large bruise. I was pretty sure that I had broken a few ribs too. (I'll check.) Endo said, and I could feel something like cool water flow across my rib section, easing the stinging pain a little. (You have one cracked rib, and more than a few bruised ones, but luckily enough, none are broken. I have eased the pain, and mended the cracked rib. The bruised ones will heal naturally in their own time.) I smiled at him, and since there were no auras in the immediate vicinity, answered him out loud.

"Thank you Endo, and I didn't know you could heal." I said. He chuckled. (A magician hardly ever reveals his secrets, but I'll tell you now. I can heal simple things, like cracked bones, and ease pain, with no problem. In fact, you can too; I just forgot to mention it.) I smiled, and concentrated on running.

2 minutes later

I was a little out of breath when I reached Arlong park again, and was in time to see a speck in the sky reach down with impossibly long arms and grab something near the ground, and then, it seemed like the speck in the sky was suddenly a different speck. The townspeople were still gathered around the entrance, and I could see Usopp looking through a window to the inside. I walked over to the townspeople.

"Excuse me please, can you let me through?" I asked politely. They turned to look at me, and stared in surprise. I heard some people murmuring about how they were sure that Rody had killed me, but were glad he hadn't. I felt more than a little irked at this comment, but let it slide. They opened up a path for me to pass through, and I walked through, sidling up to the gate, and leaning on Nami's shoulder.

"Hey there." I said, looking at Luffy as he punched Arlong. Nami seemed surprised that I was there. I looked at her, and smiled. "You know, I would've thought that after seeing me beat up Kuro, you'd of known that I was strong…" I said, amused by the shock on her face. I looked back at Luffy's fight, and decided that my ribs hurt too much to stay standing. I sat down after releasing Nami, and leaned against the wall where Usopp was valiantly hiding in plain sight.

"Hi, Usopp-san." I said. He glanced at me, and smiled.

"I beat one of Arlong's officers!" He said, his grin turning into a full blown elated beam. I laughed, ignoring my ribs as they protested.

"I did too!" We grinned at each other for a bit before turning back to Luffy's fight.

"Do you know what the difference is between us?" Arlong was asking Luffy.

"Our noses?" Luffy replied. I smiled. Arlong just stared at him. "…our chins?" I laughed, and decided to join in.

"I think it's your height!" I called, and Luffy looked over to me, nodding seriously, before getting into a fighting position.

"WEBBED TOES?!" He shouted, and I laughed harder.

"NO!" Arlong shouted, jumping at Luffy while snapping his sharp teeth at Luffy's neck. "SPECIES!" I made an 'ah.' Sound. Nami looked at me curiously.

"Do you _like_ to antagonize people who can kill you?" She asked me, and I looked at her with a grin.

"There would be no fun in fighting otherwise, Nami-san." I replied. She sweatdropped, and we looked at the fight again. _I sure am being sidetracked a lot…_ I thought to myself.

**[A/N: that's because the author can't write fight scenes, and is trying to put it off as long as possible…]**

Luffy had picked up a sword. _I thought that he couldn't use swords? Maybe I was mistaken…_ I thought. He swung it at Arlong clumsily. _No, my first impression was right…What is he doing?_ My question was sort of answered.

"Maybe I can't do anything, but I have Nakama who'll rescue me!" He shouted.

"What's this? You're just swinging wildly." Arlong said as he easily dodged Luffy's erratic swings. He caught one of Luffy's swords with his nose, and that sword went flying with a flick of his head. "I'm bored with your games…HUH?" Luffy had swung the other sword at him, faster than I could follow. Arlong caught it in his teeth, and part of the sword went flying. "Enough foolishness."

"Clench your teeth!" Shouted Luffy as he spun around, then punched Arlong in the jaw. Arlongs teeth shattered as he went flying backwards. Luffy straitened up.

"I DON'T KNOW HOW TO USE A SWORD, SHARK-FACE!" He yelled. I stared at my captain, wide eyed. I hadn't truly seen hi fight until now, and I could tell that he was stronger than any of us, even Zoro, by far.

**[A/N: Don't kill me, Zoro fans, you know it's true…kind of.]**

"I DON'T KNOW HOW TO NAVIGATE EITHER!" Nami straitened up next to me, standing taller.

"I CAN'T COOK, I CAN'T TELL LIES, AND I CAN'T MAKE CONTRACTS WITH SPIRITS!" I blinked, the smile on my face growing. He had said it correctly this time. I looked over at Usopp, who looked indignant, and laughed.

"I KNOW I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT THE HELP OF A LOT OF PEOPLE!" He finished. Arlong sat, criss cross, in front of him.

"Bwahahahaha! What a clever boy you are, to admit your own helplessness!" He said. "What a burden it must be for your crew to have such an idiot for a captain. I don't know why they fight so desperately to save you." I smiled a little larger. _Family, Nakama, someone who didn't shy away when I told them about the Demon._ I answered in my head.

"YOU LACK THE SLIGHTEST SHRED OF DIGNITY OR ABILITY!" Arlong shouted, showing all of his broken shark teeth. "WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO BE THE CAPTAIN OF A SHIP?! JUST WHAT CAN _YOU_ DO!?" Luffy grinned.

"I can beat you." He said. I laughed, then looked around. I saw Sanji, who looked none the worse for wear. (Some of his innards aren't in the right place…) Endo said. I shrugged. (Sanji is tough…where's Zoro?...wait, that speck in the sky…don't tell me…) I stood up, and turned to Nami.

"Do you know which direction Zoro-san went in?" I asked her. She looked thoughtful for a moment before pointing to the sea. I thanked her, and walked back through the throng of townspeople. Once I was clear, I jogged past Usopp still peering through the whole in the wall, and made for the sea. When I got there, I looked around before spotting a bloody body. I involuntarily winced in sympathy as I walked over to him. I sat next to Zoro, and asked for Endo's pain reducing power. He gave me instructions, and I followed them to the letter. Zoro stopped bleeding, and he seemed to relax. I was about to get up and leave when his voice stopped me.

"…what did you do?" He asked. I turned around and looked back at him, a smile still on my face.

"I stopped the bleeding, and lowered the pain to a tolerable level, Zoro-san. Should I not have?" He said nothing, but opened his eyes to look at me seriously.

"You know that you don't have to pretend to smile all the time." He said, and my smile almost dropped off of my face. I managed to keep it on through sheer force of will.

"I don't understand, Zoro-san." I said, more than a little nervous. Could he possibly see that there was more to my story than what I had told them?

"Kretcher isn't even the name you were born with, was it?" He asked. I suddenly missed him calling me 'Skeleton' all of the time. That would have been preferable to the question he had just asked me. My hair shadowed my face.

"What…" I trailed off, not knowing what to say. My feet were rooted to the spot, and I could feel horror creeping up on me. He nodded to the tattoo on my left arm.

"The tattoo." He said simply. I looked at the ground for a moment, before looking up at him, a smile on my face.

"You're more observant than I thought, Zoro-san." I said. He glared at me.

"And you know Takanome." He said in an accusing voice. I smiled harder.

"Yup. He was my brother's teacher." I said. "He would come to our kingdom every so often with my brother to check in." I turned around, and walked away before he could ask any more questions that I would be more reluctant to answer. I looked at Arlong park in time to see it collapse. I mentally twisted my brain, and saw that Luffy's aura was all right. _He won._ I thought to myself. I smiled, and walked towards the entrance. When I finally arrived, Zoro was with the others, and Nami was tugging on Rat-man's whiskers. She then hit him with her stick, and him and his marines swam away fast. I walked over to the others, and held up a hand, and smiled wider. Luffy grinned at me.

"Hi Skelly!" He said. Zoro looked at me, untrusting, Sanji seemed happy that I was alright, though he was swooning over Nami, so I wasn't sure, and Usopp was telling his story, but making him seem more heroic than he probably was. I sat on a rock nearby and looked on as they celebrated their victory.

5 minutes later

Zoro was getting stitches, and, as payback for asking me those questions, I had halted the pain stopper I had put on his wounds, so it hurt really, really bad. I was sitting outside, in between Sanji and Usopp, looking at the sky.

"They're still at it." Sanji remarked as another scream exploded from the doctor's office.

"Yeah, but it'd take a normal person 2 years to recover…" Usopp said calmly.

"It's crazy that he can even move." Sanji said. I smiled.

"His pain threshold is a level all its own." I said. They looked at me curiously, but I closed my eyes to sleep.

I was awoken by loud music and laughter. Sitting up, I looked around in wonder. That sad town that was so depressing yesterday, had turned into a madhouse of celebration. I smiled in relief of the towns recovery. (I think that you should buy a notebook to keep poems in.) Remarked Sharpclaw. (That way, you can look back on them as many times as you want.) I smiled. (That's a good idea.) I said. (Don't forget quill pens!) Billy added. (And ink nya!) Pusa said. (And a lock and key in case you don't want people to read it.) Said Endo. I laughed, and stood up, walking over to a random townsperson.

"Excuse me, ma'am." I said, tapping her shoulder. She turned around, waiting for my question.

"Do you know where I might be able to find a notebook, quills, ink, and locks for the notebook?" I asked. She smiled, and gave me directions to a store that she said was 'the best for what you're looking for.' I thanked her, and went on my way. I hummed as I counted the number of streets on the right as I walked by them, and then finally arrived at the street she had said to go down. I walked down to the sign that had a large book and quill on it. Looking inside, I found that the store was open, and there was an old lady sitting behind the counter. I opened the door and started to browse the selection of notebooks.

"Looking for anything in particular, dearie?" The old woman asked. I straitened up to answer her question.

"No, ma'am, just something to write poetry in, and a lock to keep it shut against people I don't want reading it." I said. The old lady chuckled in amusement. She pointed to the wall opposite where I was looking.

"Over there." I thanked her, and walked over to the other wall. I immediately found what I was looking for. It was emerald green with a silver clasp that would only open to the holder of the key. I picked up a few quills and some ink, and then brought it over to the counter to pay.

"That will be 2,000 Beri." She said, after ringing up the price. I brought my wallet out of my miniskirt's pocket, and fished out the money she wanted. I handed it over, and she handed me the bag with my newly bought book in it. She looked at me closely, and then grabbed my arm to stop me from leaving. "Wait. I have something for you." She hopped off her chair, and disappeared through a door to the back of the shop while I stared after her, perplexed. She appeared seconds later, with a dagger in her hand.

"You cannot always rely on the spirits to help you; sometimes you must take things into your own hands. I think you understand this already, and you look like a capable fighter, but please, accept this. You are hounded by a demon, and this will glow yellow when it is nearby." She said. I looked at her in shock. How could she possibly know? She smiled at me, and I took the dagger from her grasp, unsheathing it to look at the blade. The blade was a strange shade of silver, it looked almost unearthly. The handle and pommel were both black, and the pommel was rounded. The cross-guard was rounded, and made out of the same material as the blade. I looked at the old lady, speechless. She looked at me kindly, and showed me out of the store. I turned around to protest over not having to pay, but both she and the store were gone. I sheathed the dagger, and hung it on my belt. My stomach growled, so I put that weird experience behind me, and walked in the direction I smelled food.

Once I had eaten my fill, I made for the docks, with the intent of crashing on my bed on the Merry. I managed to dodge several people who seemed to want to congratulate me on a victory that I had no part in. I finally arrived at the Merry, and breathed in her familiar scent as I boarded.

"Hey there, Merry." I said, walking over to the mast. I felt a small vibration under my feet that felt like an exclamation of 'welcome back'. I leaned my forehead against Merry's mast, and breathed out a deep sigh. "I don't think I'll be back after the next island. Even if I survive, I doubt that they would want me." Merry let out a soothing creak and I remembered the small argument I had with them after revealing some of my past.

_"__No." Luffy said, folding his arms. I gaped at him._

_ "__Bu-"_

_ "__No."_

_ "__Lu-"_

_ "__No means no, and I'm the captain. So what if that thing decides to try and kill us? We'll kill it first." He huffed and turned to Zoro, Nami, and Usopp._

_ "__Right?" Nami and Usopp stopped screaming long enough to nod their heads seriously, although I noticed that Nami looked a little hesitant. It's probably that thing that's been bothering her…Zoro took another swig from his tankard and grinned menacingly._

_ "__I've never fought a demon before…I can't wait!" I looked at them all, Luffy was grinning his stupid grin, Zoro looked ready for a fight, Nami wasn't screaming anymore, and Usopp was making up stories on how many demons he had fought, though his knees were shaking. I didn't dare to hope just yet._

_ "__Why?" I whispered, clutching my hands together. Luffy's grin became even bigger, if that was physically possible._

_ "__You're our Nakama, right?" Suddenly, everything that had been weighing on me for the past 9 years of my life lifted, and everything looked lighter as I stared at my crew, my family. I felt tears prick at my eyes, but held them back. I still held Mother's lessons to my heart. Instead, I smiled my first real smile in a long time. It was at that moment that I realized that if the demon killed them, I would follow as best I could. Even if it took years to accomplish. It felt good to have two goals in life._

"Is that it, Merry? Should I trust in them to make it out of there safely?" I asked, slightly desperate. The Merry creaked an affirmative. I stared at the mast, thinking hard, trying to smother the hope that was rising in my chest. The last time I had hoped, people had died. "I-I'll think about it…goodnight Merry, and thanks for the advice." Merry creaked a goodnight, and fell silent. I walked into the girls' room, and fell face first on my hammock. It wasn't long before the dream realm overtook me.

I woke up the next day oddly refreshed. I didn't have any bad dreams the previous night, and I had gotten the amount of sleep needed for someone the age of 16, that is, 9 hours of sleep. I smiled as I stretched my arms high above my head, and stood up, stooping down to touch my toes. I remembered what I had bought the day before, and reached over to the bag excitedly. (Good morning!) I said to the spirits cheerfully. They sent warm feelings back, but didn't respond. I had forgotten that spirits slept when they had contracts too, and they were probably still sleeping. I sat down at a desk, that Nami had claimed before she had taken off with Merry so suddenly, and dipped one of my quills in an open bottle of ink, and then paused, looking at the creamy white first sheet of the notebook in front of me. I smiled, and touched the quill to the paper. The words flowed out of me like a flood.

_Wings & Dreams_

_If we could fly on the wings of the birds,_

_Than we could fly, oh so high, in the sky,_

_But if we lose sight of our dreams,_

_We would lose the buoyancy of the wings._

_So keep your dream in sight and mind,_

_And those wings will continue to climb._

I smiled happily as I waited for the ink to dry. I quickly cleaned the quill and screwed the cap back on the ink. When the ink finally dried on the paper, I closed it, and locked the lock, so that no one but me could read it. I slipped it back into its cloth bag, and walked out onto the deck after brushing my hair. My crewmates were there already, and looking out at the dock. My smile widened, and I snuck up behind them.

"BOO!" I yelled, and was rewarded with Luffy and Usopp jumping, while Sanji whipped around, and Zoro stayed perfectly still. I laughed at their faces, and joined them at the rail. "Who're we waiting for?" I asked.

"Nami." Luffy replied.

"Hmmm. She's not here yet." Usopp said, shading his eyes with his hand.

"Maybe she's not coming." Zoro said, leaning against a wall with a smirk on his face.

"NAMI'S NOT COMING?" Shouted Sanji. "WHY NOT?" He looked at Luffy, who pointed at Sanji and said in an accusing tone;

"Sanji! There wasn't any prosciutto anywhere!" I laughed, and leaned against the rail next to Luffy, staring out over the crowd. I pointed past the crowd.

"There she is." I said, just as Nami shouted at us.

"SET SAIL…NOW!" She yelled. I walked over to the sails, and tugged on a rope that I knew would lower the main one. It lowered about half-way, and I frowned. Sailing wasn't really my thing, so I wasn't sure if I had broken something. I heard Usopp speaking behind me.

"She started running. What's she up to?" He said, and I gave the rope another experimental tug.

"She said to set sail, so let's do it." Luffy replied. I tugged the rope again, and was rewarded with the sail lowering a few more feet.

"RAISE THE SAIL!" Shouted Luffy. I tugged the rope again, harder this time. The sail lowered all the way, and billowed out as it caught the wind.

"STOP NAMI!" shouted a random person. I looked around the boat. Everyone else was already doing what needed to be done. I walked back up the stairs, and leaned against the railing again, following the figure of Nami, who was dodging through people in a seemingly random pattern.

"HEY, THEY'RE SAILING!" Shouted another random person. "BUT WE WANTED TO THANK YOU GUYS ONE MORE TIME!"

"GET MOVING!" Shouted Luffy. The others joined me where I was standing.

"Are you sure we should let her do this?" Sanji asked Luffy. I propped my chin on my hand, and smiled idly.

"She should leave the way she wants." Luffy replied. I admittedly was amazed at how far Nami could jump. She leaped from the dock to our ship, and landed on the railing next to me. She then stepped off of the railing onto the deck, and proceeded to lift up her shirt. A bunch of wallets tumbled out. I laughed until I thought my bruised ribs would crack and my eyes started tearing up.

"Take care everybody!" Nami said with a grin. I laughed harder.

"YOU TRICKED US!" All of the townspeople cried out at once.

"She hasn't changed one bit." Usopp said.

"She could double-cross us again." Mr. ray-of-sunshine, aka Zoro said.

"Way to go, Nami!" Ero-bro-cook said, giving her a thumbs up. Luffy and I just laughed at her choice of departure. The cries of the townspeople followed us as our ship carried us out of sight.

"YOU THEIVING CAT!"

"COME BACK HERE!"

"GIVE US BACK OUR WALLETS!"

"TROUBLE-MAKER!"

"COME BACK SOON!"

"TAKE CARE!"

"WE'RE GRATEFUL TO YOU ALL!" One cry stood out above them all. It was the windmill guy, and I assumed he was talking to Luffy.

"HEY KID, DON'T FORGET YOUR PROMISE!" Luffy gave him a thumbs up.

"BYE EVERYONE!" Nami shouted in a cheery voice. "I'LL BE BACK!" The smile on her face was real this time, as it had been before we had seen her here.

1 day later

"Did you raise the price again? You're charging too much." Nami said, holding out 100 Beri.

"Nami-san…" I said, getting her attention.

"What?" She asked.

"You're trying to argue with a bird." I pointed out, looking at the mail coo. She sniffed, and looked back at the poor bird, who was saluting her. She stuffed the 100 Beri into the coin box, and scolded it some more. I rolled my eyes, and got back to my book.

"What's a newspaper or two?" Usopp asked with a sigh as he mixed chemicals together.

"If you read one everyday, it's good for the brain." Nami replied with a shrug.

"You're done collecting money, aren't you?" Usopp asked, looking up from his chemicals for a split second.

"Don't be stupid!" Nami said, thrusting a finger in his direction and looking indignant. "Now that Arlong's gone, it's time to make money for myself. I don't want to be a penniless pirate." Usopp held up a hand.

"Stop squawking!" He said, lifting up a bottle of what I knew to be _extremely_ hot hot sauce. "I'm trying to develop the ultimate killer, the peppersauce star. Anyone who gets this in his eyes won't stand a chance." Just as he finished his sentence, Luffy crashed into him, and the bottle of peppersauce splashed into Usopp's eyes. My own eyes widened as I watched this, and I stood up quickly and rushed into the kitchen. I grabbed a bucket, and then pumped some clean water from the nozzle into the bucket. I rushed back outside, and threw the contents over Usopp's flaming eyes. Nami opened up her newspaper, and 2 pieces of paper fell out of it.

"Ad's?" Luffy guessed, before my eyes and his widened.

"Heh heh! We're wanted dead or alive!" Luffy laughed as he held up his poster of him smiling. I looked mine over.

"Mine says 'only dead'." I said, with a small smile on my face. "I wonder why." Luffy bounced over to me to take a look at my poster.

"I have a 30,000,000 Beri bounty, you?" He asked. I smiled.

"20,000,000. I'm only 10,000,000 short." We laughed heartily together. Nami face-palmed.

"As usual, you guys have no idea how serious this is…The navy's hunting us! At those prices, headquarters is probably involved. The toughest bounty-hunters are going to come after us too…" She turned around. "This is no time to be relaxing in the East Blue…"

"Hey, there's an Island…" Zoro called out. Nami frowned, and I stopped laughing. Already?

"We shouldn't reach Roguetown for another few days…" She mused. I felt increasingly uncomfortable. _The next Island…_

**XD Hahahaha! Another cliffhanger! I hope you like it! There haven't been many more flashbacks because we are now at the point of her past itself, so hang on! This is going to be a bumpy ride! Warning: If you don't like dark stuff, and mild depression, then don't read the next few chapters. And that's it for this weekend folks! XD See ya!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Ureshiitamago: I'm really going to have fun making this story as dark as I possibly can…**

**Kretcher: …just don't overdo it…**

**Ureshiitamago: *Look of absolute innocence* Who? Me?**

**Kretcher: *glares* …**

**Ureshiitamago: heh heh. XD Disclaimer, I do not own One Piece, except for my OC's and OIs. **

_ "__I have a 30,000,000 Beri bounty, you?" He asked. I smiled._

_ "__20,000,000. I'm only 10,000,000 short." We laughed heartily together. Nami face-palmed._

_ "__As usual, you guys have no idea how serious this is…The navy's hunting us! At those prices, headquarters is probably involved. The toughest bounty-hunters are going to come after us too…" She turned around. "This is no time to be relaxing in the East Blue…"_

_ "__Hey, there's an Island…" Zoro called out. Nami frowned, and I stopped laughing. Already?_

_ "__We shouldn't reach Roguetown for another few days…" She mused. I felt increasingly uncomfortable. _The next Island…

**Chapter 16: Brothers and Demons and Tears, oh my!**

"Please, please, please, please, please, please, ple-" **WHACK!** Luffy had been begging Nami for a small pit-stop at the Island that we were sailing by. Nami had finally lost it and punched him on the top of his head. He was currently sitting on the floor and holding his head in pain, though I hadn't thought that Nami could hurt a rubber man. _Note to self, never make Nami angry…_ I thought as I stared at my captain who was still nursing his bump. I glanced at the seemingly harmless island uneasily. Sure, we were still in the East Blue, but that didn't mean that there couldn't be mysterious Islands that showed up from time to time. I had a funny feeling that this was one of those.

"So, Kretcher? What do you think?" I heard Nami ask me. To my horror, I replied an affirmative. It seemed as though I couldn't skip this Island, it was drawing me in. Much like an Eagle does with its prey. I was paralyzed, unable to look away from the Island. Of course, as soon as we anchored ourselves just a ways away from shore, Luffy was off like a shot to explore. I stared at the Island with even more foreboding than when I had first glimpsed it. Something was going to happen here, something big. I remembered the Demon's words on Nami's home Island, and shivered. (It'll be all right.) Billy said. (You won't let them be taken nya.) Pusa added. Sharpclaw and Endo stayed silent, and I wondered what they thought about the Island. (I'll be in your hands.) I said politely, hinting very subtly that there may be a fight. I jumped overboard into the water. The water was about knee deep, and was turquoise blue. _That's strange._ I thought to myself. _As far as I know, the East Blue doesn't have any turquoise colored water…_ I decided not to think on that too much.

"Are you coming, Kretcher?" Nami called from ahead of me. I smiled, and waved my hand over my head, signaling that I would be there soon. I waded out of the water and onto the sand, and slowly, the reluctance I felt initially about going onto the Island faded. I frowned, and then shrugged, thinking that my first impression was probably right, but it wouldn't be good to constantly look over my shoulder. I glanced around at the Island. There was crystal white sand that seemed to enclose the island, and the inland island itself seemed to be a cross between tropical and rainforest, as if it couldn't make up its mind. Nami was waiting at a path that led into the forest, and I noticed that she was tapping her foot impatiently. I jogged across the sand to her, and braced myself for a punch on the head that never came. She smiled, and turned, and then started walking. I followed behind, very much a confused sheep.

"Sanji and Usopp went ahead after Luffy." Nami said. I looked at the back of her head.

"Zoro is sleeping on the ship." I replied. I heard her sigh in exasperation.

"Why does he always sleep?" She shouted at the trees. I smiled a little wider, glad to know that she wasn't _too_ pissed off at Luffy's insistence that they go onto the Island. She turned around to walk backwards.

"Ne, Kretcher?" I looked at her, silently wondering what she wanted to ask me. "Why do you have 愛 tattooed on your arm? I've been meaning to ask for a while, but it always slipped my mind." She said. I visibly tensed at her 'harmless' question, and smacked a smile on my face to cover it up. She looked at me, her face bordering on suspicion instead of curiosity.

"It's a princess thing…" I managed to say. She didn't look any less suspicious, but, luckily for me, she accepted my answer. We spent the rest of the walk up the sloping path in silence. She was probably contemplating my answer, while I was trying very hard not to let my smile slip to reveal the panic that was setting in on me.

5 minutes later

Nami and I caught up to the boys, who were standing outside of a town, obviously waiting for us. Luffy was foaming at the mouth, and I highly suspected that if Sanji hadn't been holding onto the back of Luffy's vest, Luffy would've been at a restaurant as soon as he had found the town. The moment Sanji saw that we had caught up, he let go of Luffy's vest. Naturally, Luffy flew forward, being both hungry and made of rubber. As he disappeared, we heard his cry of

"FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!" I pitied the poor restaurant he chose to eat at. Usopp and Sanji politely waited until we had completely caught up with them. That is to say, we weren't over 100 feet away from them. We smiled at them, and the four of us headed into the village together. Sanji and I fell back until Usopp and Nami were out of hearing range. We hadn't had a good chance to talk privately since the boat ride from Baratie to Kokoyashi.

"…So, why did you cut your hair?" He asked, looking at my messy boyish cut.

"Same reason I got a tattoo." I replied, looking at him steadily. I wasn't prepared to tell him about everything, but he, and the others, deserved answers, and, based off of what the Demon had said, they would get answers on this Island anyway. Sanji looked at me curiously, and waited for me to expand on what I had said.

"In order for Kretcher to be born, the past me had to die, so I chopped my hair…and got a tattoo." I said. He nodded thoughtfully.

"But why get _that_ tattoo? If you wanted the past you to die, than why not get a different tattoo?" He asked. I winced.

"Because this is here to warn me." I said, not bothering to explain further. _Warn me not to make another family, or it'll end up like the first…_

The silence stretched on for a bit, and we caught up with Nami and Usopp because we couldn't think about what else to talk about. I took the chance to look around the village. The houses seemed to be suited for the humid climate, straw roofs and wooden plank walls, and the road was dirt. The locals seemed to favor wrap skirts and crop tops for the girls, and t-shirts and shorts for the guys. Finally, we found a restaurant that had horrible eating sounds coming out of it, and we figured that Luffy would be in that one. We stood outside for a moment, debating on whether or not to go in.

"I say we should." Sanji said. "I want to know if there are any recipes that I don't know about here. And also, I want to see more beautiful women!" The rest of us sweatdropped as he twirled his legs and his eye became a heart.

"I don't think we should." Usopp said, crossing his arms and shaking his head. "We would be forced to pay for whatever Luffy ate."

"I agree." Nami said. "I don't want to waste money." Her eyes turned into Beri. I sweatdropped. _Her eyes turned into Beri…_

"I think we should go in before he eats everything." I said. My stomach grumbled to accentuate my point. 2 on 2. I turned to Nami. "Rock paper scissors?" I asked, holding out my hand.

I won, so we went inside, and, as we suspected, Luffy was stuffing his gut. I walked over and stole a chicken leg before he could eat everything. Starving had given me a respect for all things edible, but I still liked chicken better than the veggies that were lying untouched until he finished the meat. I finished my chicken leg, and then took out my purse. The person behind the counter gave me the sum of his food, and I reluctantly handed over the money. Sanji asked the man behind the counter if he could ask the cook about how they cooked the food, and was led into the kitchens. I sat down next to Luffy and waited for him to finish his food while Nami kidnapped Usopp to go clothes shopping.

"Mm shmm shmmumm hmmm jmmm jmmm jooo." Luffy said. I spent a moment processing what he had attempted to say.

"You saw someone who looked like me?" I tried, and he nodded vigorously, and swallowed.

"He even talked like you! It was like you, except a man, and older!" Luffy crammed more food into his mouth. I sat there, processing what he had said.

"Purple hair?" I asked. He nodded. "Purple eyes?" Again, he nodded. I nodded, and turned to the bar, staring at nothing. A thrill went up my spine, not necessarily a good one. (That description sounds like your brother.) Billy remarked. (Maybe we should find him, nya.) Pusa said idly, washing her paws. (I don't know guys…what the Demon said…what if something happened to Olan?) I said, turning over the Demons words in my head. (What if nothing happened to him?) Endo said. I stayed silent. (It's worth a shot at least.) Sharpclaw said, gently goading me. I stood up.

"I'm going to find him, Luffy." Luffy looked at me questioningly. I smiled at him. "That man may be my older brother." Luffy quickly swallowed, then grinned largely at me.

"Than we'll all help you find him!" he said excitedly. "I want to meet Skelly's brother!" He said. I smiled, ignoring the gnawing feeling of foreboding growing in the pit of my stomach. It made me wish that I hadn't eaten that chicken leg.

"Ok!" I said. We gathered up Sanji, Usopp, and Nami, and walked back to the ship. I was growing more and more apprehensive. The whole island didn't _feel_ right. The fact that my blood brother may be on the island didn't _feel_ right. I felt my brow start to furrow as we walked back to the Merry, and I straitened it out before anyone could see. They needed to get off the island, with or without me. They needed to get off of the island _alive_. I didn't want them to become another Coral. I realized my mistake as I fell to the ground, eyes filming over in another flashback. I was having more of them lately, and they dug up a past that I buried deep within my mind do I wouldn't remember.

_I trudged through the marshes, struggling to keep my cloak wrapped around me to ward off the cold. When I breathed, plumes of visible air rose from my nose and mouth, and I could feel the warmth leave me. I felt and looked awful. My long purple hair that I had put up in a ponytail was matted, and now looked three sizes shorter than it normally was. I was gaunt and my clothes didn't look so beautiful anymore. I mourned the loss of my horse more than my family, and it shamed me that I did. All in all, I was a mess. (There's a house over there.) Billy said in my head. I barely looked up to register that he was right. I stared at the blur of light for what seemed like an hour before deciding to walk over. If I had been healthier, and hadn't just lost my horse and family, I might not have made that decision, but I wasn't healthier, and I did just lose my horse and family, so I walked over. _

_ "__Hello?" I asked, finally reaching the house. I winced at my voice. It was crackly and weak. A testament of my constant screaming on the night of my 10__th__ birthday. The door opened slowly, and a head peeked out. It was an older lady, maybe 17 or 18, with long wavy hair, and big brown eyes. She had a tattoo on the side of her left cheek, which was the kanji for Hyouka _**[A/N: Hyouka means ice cream, a play on words, to I scream.]**

_ "__Yes?" She asked, looking above my head, face going from cautious to confused. Finally, she looked down. Her eyes widened. "Oh my beans! Come in honey, and plunk yourself by the fire. I'll get a bath goin', and I'll make hot cocoa." She ushered me into a cozy house, and I sat by the open fire that was in the middle of her house. I looked around. It seemed to be the combination of a dining room, kitchen, living room, and bedroom. The bed being a mat on the floor by the fire. I stared at the door where she had disappeared to, obviously that was the bathroom. She came out again, and this time, I saw was she was wearing. It was very weird for the cold weather, but she must've spent a lot of her time indoors. She wore a green one strap spaghetti strap shirt, and a light green wrap around skirt that had the picture of an old looking man in a strawhat, with the letters G.D.R. embroidered underneath. She had brown sandals on, and there was a wraparound arm bracelet in the shape of a snake on her left upper arm. Her curly brown hair was now tied into a side pony tail. She sat down next to me. _

_ "__Your bath is ready hon'." She said. I nodded mutely, and stood up, wobbling as I walked over to the bathroom. "There's a curtain you can pull across th' door for privacy." She called after me. I dumbly looked around for a curtain before finding it behind me. I pulled it across the doorframe, and shed my clothes, stepping into the hot waters of the bath. I pulled my matted hair out of its ponytail, and dunked my head underwater. I stayed there for a minute, trying as always to see how long I could hold my breath. (Ya should thank her, ya know.) Billy said idly from my oversized earring. (…I know…) I replied half-heartedly. He said nothing while I finished washing. Finally, I stepped out of the bath._

_ "__Are you done honey?" The lady called. I nodded, before realizing that she couldn't hear me._

_ "__Yes." I called. _

_ "__There're new clothes on th' mirror table. I don't know if they'll fit you, but they'll do for now." I looked around before seeing the clothes she meant. It was a rather large white dress shirt and brown skirt. I slipped them on. The skirt fit, but I was swimming in the shirt. It went down to my knees. I padded out of the bathroom, hair dripping wet, and hanging to its normal length, to the backs of my knees. I looked around the small room, before seeing her kneeling by the fire, putting a brown powder in a pot. I padded over until I was on the other side of the fire, and then I bowed. I had never liked curtsies, and refused to do them._

_ "__Thank you for your kind hospitality." I said in the most polite voice I could manage while being tired and emotionally scarred. Not that I wasn't emotionally scarred _before_ the demon came. She stared at me wide eyed, before doing the complete opposite of what I had thought she would. She laughed. And it wasn't the small proper one that most girls I knew would do. It was the full on laugh that came from the pits of your belly, the one that my father often used. I stared at her in shock. She wiped her streaming eyes as she calmed herself down._

_ "__I'm sorry, pumpkin." She said. I was soon to learn that she called everyone and their uncle 'pumpkin', 'honey', 'sweety', and all other nicknames that were normally reserved for Grandparents talking to their Grandchildren. "No one spoke polite to me before, and I find it funny that a little girl like you would." _

_ "__I don't understand." I said, getting used to my crackly voice. She smiled._

_ "__Hot cocoa?" She asked, holding out an earthen ware cup. The contents were steaming, and I sat down before taking the cup, not trusting my legs to hold out for much longer. I blew on the hot liquid and sipped slowly, savoring the chocolaty goodness. We sat there, staring at the fire, and sipping from our cups, for what seemed like hours. Finally, she turned to me._

_ "__What's your name, hon'?" She asked. "Mine's Coral." I hesitated for a minute. I didn't want to use my name. Then I realized that she hadn't given me her last name. I would do the same. I thought quickly, and finally thought of the Cat who lived in the palace kitchens._

_ "__My name is Kretcher, Coral-san." I said. She tried to make me drop the honorific, pleading while I refused, until she finally gave up. She looked out the window of her house, and stood up._

_ "__Well, Kretcher. Want to help me set up a bed for you?" I nodded quickly, before hesitating. "What is it?" She asked me. I opened my mouth, and then shut it, thinking before I decided to talk. _

_ "__I don't know how to make beds." I confessed, looking at the ground. I heard her laugh, but it didn't sound cruel, like my sister's had. _

_ "__That's ok, sweety." She said, and I looked up at her. She was smiling. "I'll teach you." And teach me she did. She showed me how to clean, cook, wash the dishes, make my bed, and even how to build a fire, as well as how to put the fire out. We passed the days in a nice monotony, and I began to think of her as a kind of surrogate sister or mother. At any rate, she seemed to think of me as a sister or daughter as well. _

_ "__Are you sure, hon?" She asked me, sounding nervous. She was sitting behind me, with a pair of scissors in her hand. "I really don't know if I c'n make it cute." I shifted so I was looking over my shoulder._

_ "__I don't care if you make me bald, I just want it out of my way." I said. She didn't seem reassured. I turned back around, and I heard her sigh. Clump after clump of my hair fell away, making me feel more and more free as my head became lighter and lighter. Finally, she stopped cutting my hair. _

_ "__Alright, sugar cube, I'm done." She said. "I made it a boy cut, hope you don't mind." I didn't mind in the least, and said so. She seemed relieved. _

_Months turned into a year. And it was on the day that I turned 11 that everything collapsed around me. It started out as a normal day, me stoking the embers back to roaring flame, then walking over to the other side of the fire and shaking Coral awake. We had a breakfast of marsh mushroom stir-fry, Coral's specialty. I had decided earlier that morning, while I was stoking the fire, to go out and pick some more mushrooms, and gather more firewood. After breakfast, I told her where I was going, and when I could be expected back, something she had drilled into me not long after I arrived. She nodded, looking distant. I frowned, usually she smiled at me at least, but now, my surrogate older sister didn't even look in my direction. It was odd, and should've been a sign of what was to come, but I shrugged it off. _

_I was busy chopping up more firewood when I smelt it. Smoke. In the direction of Coral's house. I dropped my ax, panicked, and ran as fast as my small 11 year old legs could carry me. (We shoulda stayed behind!) cursed Billy. I gritted my teeth and didn't say anything. There was nothing when we got there. Everything was in ashes, and the only thing left was Coral's arm bracelet that she always wore. I plopped down onto my knees, and picked it up gingerly. _

_ "__I'm sorry." I whispered. "I'm so so sorry." It was my fault. I was the one who decided that we would be family. I cried until there were no tears left, and then slipped the arm band onto my ankle. It was too big for my arm. I also saw a pair of oversized green sandals. I had lost my other sandals in the desperate rush back, so I slipped those on. I looked around at the remains of a home that I loved, and walked away, but not before putting up a gravestone. It read;_

_Here lies Coral, the woman who took in a girl without question, and loved her as a daughter._

I woke up with a gasp, everything blurry brown before my eyes focused, and I realized that I was looking at the ceiling in the girls' room. I sat up in my hammock, and looked around. _Will this burn like Corals place did?_ I wondered, swinging my legs out of the hammock and standing up. (I won't let it.) Billy said murderously. The other spirits were quick to agree. Feeling the tiniest bit more secure, I walked out of the cabin. The others were standing or sitting near the mast, talking in low voices. Zoro and Sanji seemed to be having a glaring contest with each other. I walked up to them.

"Hey there." I said. They all jumped in surprise, except for Luffy, who laughed and waved at me. "What happened while I was out?" I asked.

"We looked for older man Skelly, but didn't find him." Luffy said cheerfully. For some reason, I felt relieved that they didn't find him. Why was that? I smiled at them.

"No biggy. Do we have all we need?" I turned to Nami. She nodded. "Then we should get going." I said, eager to depart this place. It felt to me like it was trying to make me remember everything, and I really didn't want to let _her_ get back out. Luffy frowned at me.

"Not until we find older man Skelly." He said stubbornly. I looked at him before realizing it was pointless to argue. Usopp looked me in the eyes.

"More importantly, what was the fainting about, Kretcher?" he asked. Everyone looked at me.

"Yeah, what was that about?" Sanji asked. "It can't be lack of food. You and Nami won't have any problem like that with me around." My smile faltered, before I sighed.

"Just a memory I didn't want to remember ever again." I said. Zoro frowned.

"Is it sad?" he asked. I raised an eyebrow.

"Only the memory of the person." I said. He opened his mouth, probably to ask a dumb question, when a shout was heard from shore.

"Is Ai Himura on that ship?" It was a male voice. I walked over with everyone to the railing, nerves rolling my stomach into tiny knots. The first thing I saw was the purple hair, longer than I remembered it, and tied up in a ponytail. He had glasses too, but otherwise looked like an older, slightly more masculine version of me. Olan. My older brother. Crud.

**Dun dun duuuun. I wonder what's in store for Kretcher? Obviously nothing good if her past has anything to say about it! Yes, this is an OI, and Coral is an OC. I wonder if she actually died? What do you readers think? Give me feedback, and if you like her enough, I might bring her back for a spell. If I figure out the poll thingie, I might make a poll for her…maybe not though. Depends. **


	17. Chapter 17

**Ureshiitamago: Wooo…ok, I'm not as energetic…uh, chapter 17! Yaay..only 3 more chapters until 20!**

**Kretcher: I hope you realize that when you don't feel energetic, ****_I_**** don't feel energetic.**

**Ureshiitamago: mmmhmmm…*snore***

**Kretcher: DON'T SLEEP!**

**Ureshiitamago: *snore***

**Kretcher:…Disclaimer, this sleeping dumbo doesn't own One Piece. Just me and my brother and my story…also, there are some graphic scenes, so if you can't stand graphic (like blood and guts) than don't read.**

**Olan: I will make your life miserable.**

**Kretcher:…that's what I'm afraid of. *turns to readers* Enjoy.**

_"__Is Ai Himura on that ship?" It was a male voice. I walked over with everyone to the railing, nerves rolling my stomach into tiny knots. The first thing I saw was the purple hair, longer than I remembered it, and tied up in a ponytail. He had glasses too, but otherwise looked like an older, slightly more masculine version of me. Olan. My older brother. Crud._

**Chapter 17: Real names and sad moments (kinda)**

"Ai Himura?" Luffy said, rolling my last name on his tongue, trying to pronounce it the way Olan had. "I don't know anyone with that name." He said finally, looking at Olan curiously. Olan looked at the rest of us who were standing at the railing before his eyes finally landed on me. I tensed as his eyes widened, and then narrowed. A look crossed his face, but was gone before I had a chance to identify it. He pointed at me.

"No, she's there, sure she looks different than I remember, but that's definitely her." My hands were holding onto the railing so hard that my knuckles were white and I was surprised that the wood didn't splinter. I could feel my crewmate's stares, and I bit my bottom lip anxiously.

"I don't go by that name anymore, dear brother." I said after gathering my courage to talk. Even from this distance, I could see one of his eyebrows shoot up.

"Why not? Ai is a good name." He said. I winced.

"It's a long story." I said, my face and smile totally neutral, though inside I was a turmoil of emotions. Olan nodded thoughtfully.

"What's your name now?" He asked curiously. I hesitated a fraction of a second before answering.

"Kretcher. I go by Kretcher." I said, hands gripping the railing even harder. Another look flashed through his face, but again, it disappeared before I could place what it was. I jumped as someone placed their hand on my shoulder. I looked over my shoulder. It was Zoro, and he looked more serious than he usually did.

"You better have an explanation for this, Ms. Himura." He said, and I drew myself up.

"I am _not_ Ai Himura, I am Kretcher, and will continue to be Kretcher until the day I die." I said, quickly and quietly. My smile had dropped off of my face, and I wore a deadly serious look. "Don't ever call me by my old name." I said, and then looked at the rest of the crew and my captain. "Ever."

"Aren't you all going to invite me up?" called Olan. I looked over at Luffy, trying not to look too stressed out. He shook himself out of his watchfulness and leaned over the railing, his smile back to 100 watts. I reached inside for mental support from my spirits, but found that they were asleep. I shivered, a sense of foreboding settling over me. I was beginning to like this island less and less. A thought came over me, and I looked at Nami.

"What's this Island called, Nami-san?" I asked. She looked at me, and then the island thoughtfully, and opened her mouth to reply.

"Kuroyuki**1** Island." Olan's gravelly voice said as he landed next to me. Evidently, he had decided not to take the ladder. I looked up at him, as he was about a head taller than me. He pushed his glasses higher onto his nose almost absently. "The island of random happenings, where anything may or may not be possible. It moves on its own, and never moves to the same place twice." His purple eyes were narrower and more cold than I remembered. I thought back to how excited I was that my brother might've been alive when I was at the Baratie. Now, though, I wasn't so sure that I wanted him alive. Especially since he made me feel like I just stepped into a freezing cold lake and a burning building at the same time. The feeling wasn't pleasant, and I felt like I had experienced it before. I just couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"I'll make some tea." Sanji said, turning from the group and walking to the kitchen. I looked at Sanji's disappearing back uneasily. He and Olan didn't seem to get along very well the few times they had seen each other, and I didn't know how they would react if Olan was given the chance to remember Sanji. I hoped to every God out there that Olan had his memory wiped too. Luffy rushed after Sanji, drooling and yelling about meat. Usopp was looking at Olan and I.

"You guys look like twins." He remarked.

"We're not." We responded at the same time, and then looked at each other in mild annoyance. Usopp and Nami started laughing.

"You guys were perfectly in sync!" Usopp said between guffaws. Olan and I crossed our arms at the same time. His face was glowering while mine was set in mild annoyance/amusement. Nami was bent over double, holding her stomach. She looked up at the two of us, eyes streaming from laughing too hard.

"It was like Johnny and Yosaku!" She gasped before doubling over with laughter again. My smile broadened, and I could feel a laugh bubbling up my throat. I had never thought that I would be compared to Johnny and Yosaku, of all people.

"Ha ha ha." Olan said, not sounding amused in the slightest. My laughter died before it could start, and I shifted uneasily, trying hard to keep my smile on my face, though it was turning into something akin to confusion. "That was soo funny, I forgot to laugh." Despite the unease curdling my stomach, I almost laughed at his cliché line. I glanced at Zoro. He was standing in the same position that Olan was, though Zoro's pose seemed more menacing than Olan's annoyance.

"Olan nii-chan, this is Nami-san," I indicated Nami with my hand. "Usopp-san," Usopp started on a rambling story of his courage. "and Zoro-san." Zoro and Olan had some kind of a glare contest, and I noticed that their eyes both went to the others scabbards. Zoro only had one sword, the white one he seemed to cherish, and I thought about Takanome. He had the strength to shatter two swords with one swing. I already knew that Olan had the same sword that he had bonded with when he was a child. It was a cursed sword {curses seemed to run in my family.}, that was red bladed and double edged. The handle was grey, matching the scabbard and cross piece.

"Nice to meet you." Nami said, and then took both Zoro and Usopp by the ears. "We'll leave you two alone to catch up." She dragged them off with a strength that made me scared for whenever I would get her angry. Olan and I stared after them in silence before simultaneously turning to face each other.

His face was indeed, so like mine, but more masculine, and a little bit older. A small crease on his face where I had none; and that was the end of the dissimilarities. His hair was long, as I had noticed before, and tied back in a ponytail with a black ribbon. I knew that ribbon; it was the one that mother would wear in her hair on special executions. Olan was the one who had vehemently protested against executions, so I wondered why he was wearing it. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt, and slightly baggy, but well fitting, blue jeans, tucked into black pirate style leather boots. He had his sword, named Crusher, on his left hip, and a small satchel on his right. He was well muscled, as expected of a swordsman. One of his hands went to his satchel after examining me.

"You look happy…_Kretcher_." He said, spitting my new name. He opened up the pouch single handedly, and pulled out a crown. My mind flashed through all of the times I had seen that crown. I had seen it often, for it never left my mother's head. I stiffened. He threw the crown at my feet.

"You killed them. It's your fault they're dead. You're not my sister anymore." His voice was cold. My ears started buzzing, and before I knew it, my feet had his solid ground, and I was running, all the while recalling my family's hurtful words.

"_You are not and will never be my daughter, you accident." _My mother's cold voice rang in my ears.

"_No one loves you, peasant."_ My twin sister's mocking voices soon followed.

"_You don't believe that they don't love you? Ok, fine. I'll _show _you."_ The Demons voice was last, echoing around my brain. I kept on running blindly, unsure as to where I was going, only knowing that I had to go somewhere I wouldn't be seen crying. A princess should never cry in public; that was drilled into my head since the day of my birth. I turned into the forest, and blindly crashed through the bushes and trees, until I knew by the feel of the auras around me that I was all alone except for animals. I collapsed against a tree, and buried my face in my knees, not yet crying. _Olan's right. I killed them by denying that most of my blood family hated me. The accident. The child that was never supposed to be. Every generation of my family only had three children, never four. I'm the unlucky one. I brought their death upon them._

My shoulders shook as I tried to hold back my tears for as long as I could. Then, one thought made the flood gates open. _And now my brother, one of the two who loved me, hates me too._ My tears were silent, but I shook like I had hypothermia.

**3****rd**** person POV**

Olan stood staring at the crown as Kretcher leapt over the railing and bolted into the forest. Slowly, a venomous grin spread across his face. _Mission accomplished_. He thought, bending down and picking up the crown, blowing on it. It disappeared in a poof of smoke. He leaned against the railing. _Let's see…stall them, check. Suppress her spirits, check. Make her so depressed she runs away, check._ He chuckled, delighted that his plan was going as he had wished it to. The blond one returned, bringing a platter with two mugs of what Olan thought might've been tea. Blondie looked around before turning to Olan.

"I'm Sanji, the cook. Where'd Kretcher-chan go?" He asked Olan, narrowing his eyes. _He's perceptive._ Thought Olan. _But not perceptive enough._ Olan grinned, aiming to throw the cook off balance.

"She's thinking about what I asked." He said. Sanji's eyes narrowed more, seeping the question he hadn't asked yet. Olan's grin broadened. "I asked her if she wanted to come with me." He said, making sure he said it loud enough that the crewmates that where coming up behind the cook with their own tea mugs could hear. They all stiffened. Olan kept his grin on. _This should be fun,_ He thought. _I love to break up blooming families._

**Kretcher's POV**

I was still crying when another unwelcome flashback hit me.

_The Demon disappeared back through the glass, and the screaming started. It came from outside the castle, and I gathered up the rest of my strength to crawl to the window. I winced as the delicate dress fabric ripped around my knees. I made it to my window, and looked out. It was the palace people, and the people from the surrounding villages, forcing their way through the gates. The guards didn't seem to be doing anything to stop them, they were just staring at the gates in confusion. I tried to yell at the guards to do something, but I found that my voice wouldn't work. I remembered the Demon touching my throat. Had he taken my ability to talk? I looked at the people in horror as the mob burst through the gate, carrying swords, pitchforks, knives, torches, and other deadly weapons. (Let's see how much your family loves you.) The Demon said in my head, as sweet as can be. I saw a guard get impaled by a pitchfork, blood spurted from his torso. I found the strength to move away from the window, and raced to the door, throwing it open. I ran to a maid, and waved my hand in her face. She didn't even blink. I tried to shake her, to warn her about the oncoming hoard, but my hands slipped right through her, as if she wasn't there. Or _I_ wasn't there. I looked at my hands in confusion before turning back to my door and shutting it quietly. The maid was sitting in an alcove, stitching a rearing lion pattern onto a table cloth. Her name came to me after a minute. Kata. The screams and shouts of the mob could now be heard through my door. Kata looked up from her stitching, her green eyes fearful. _

_ "__My lady!" She shouted, standing up fast and running to my door, knocking her stitching to the floor in the process. She pounded on the door three times and then threw it open, gasping as she beheld my room, empty of its princess. She was as white as a ghost as she raced down the hall in the direction of either the kitchens or my parent's room. I personally hoped that she went to the kitchens first, but no such luck. I ignored the dismay racing through me as she knocked on my parent's door. _

_ "__Enter." My mother's voice said. The maid and I slipped inside. Mother was standing at the window, looking out at the mob. Father was putting on armor with the help of his squire, a boy named Sam. My sisters were sitting on their bed, holding each other, eyes wide. My mother turned to Kata. "State your business." She said coldly._

_ "__My Queen, Princess Ai has disappeared from her rooms." Kata said, lowering into a curtsy. I saw my father look up, worry etched on every line on his face. I felt bad making him worry. I looked at my mother, who I thought should at least show some love to me _now_. She was as stony faced as usual, and I held my breath. Then she did something that I should've foresaw. She snorted in derision._

_ "__That brat. I should've known. Leave her be, I don't care much about a mistake." I felt cold all over as she said that. "We have better things to worry about. That mob for instance. Sneak the castle hands out the secret passage way." She waved her hand, dismissing Kata. (You see?) The Demon said to me. (I told you-) (SHUT UP!) I screamed at it. (YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT MY FAMILY! SHE'S WORRIED ABOUT ME! I KNOW IT!) There was silence for a moment. (Do you now.) The Demon said coldly. I shivered. It disappeared. I looked over at my father, who was staring at mother. _

_ "__Kira, I can't believe you said that." He said slowly. She glared at him._

_ "__A fourth child is bad luck Yume, you know that." She said in an uncaring tone. My father shook his head. _

_ "__You can't hate your own flesh and blood." He said._

_ "__Try me."_

_I ran out of those rooms faster than I could think, ignoring the gasps behind me as the door opened and closed, seemingly by itself. I ran down to the kitchens, skidding through the door, and then stopping short in horror. The mob was inside, and they had impaled Cook to the wall. One of the other kitchen hands went after the mob with a kitchen knife. Blood landed on my cheek as he was brained to death. The mob then charged through both me and the kitchen doors. I stood staring at the boy in front of me. The sickly sweet smell of blood reached my nose, and I barely made it to a barrel before I threw up. I slid down against the barrel, and hid my face from the sight of Cook with a sword through her belly, her insides spilling out. My nose twitched as I smelled something that smelled familiar in a bad way. Smoke. I looked up, staring at the flames licking their way across the wooden beams that supported the ceiling. I stood up, and in a flash was back inside the castle, racing for my parent's room, trying to think of a way to warn them. I grew more and more worried as I didn't run into the mob on my way to the room, and when I threw open the door, I knew why. My mother's crown was lying on the ground. They had been taken. _

I opened my now crusty eyes. I had stopped crying at some point during my flashback, and I rubbed my eyes, banishing the crust. I looked around, hoping to see something familiar. I didn't, and my heart sank. Not only did my brother hate me, but now the crew was going to think that I had abandoned them. (Or maybe they don't care.) purred a familiar voice. (YOU!) I thought fiercely, punching the tree that I had been leaning against. (Yes, me.) The Demon said. (Why?) I asked. (What do you mean? Do you mean why am I here, or why am I messing with your life, or perhaps you mean why does your brother hate you now?) I didn't grace him with an answer. (Ah, the silent treatment eh? Two can play at that game. I wonder where your spirits are now though.) It said, chuckling. It's voice faded, and I waited a few moments before panicking and checking on each spirit. They were all there, but still sleeping. No, in a coma. I stood up, and took a deep sniff of the air in each direction, choosing the direction that smelled the most of sea. I thought I knew what was up with Olan, and it wasn't good. 

**1.****black snow island.**

**Ooh. Ok. This is short, I know, so don't be angry please. I'm not getting tired of writing, far from it. I love this fan fic, and will keep on writing. I just don't feel like really going too long with the chapter this weekend, so forgive me. Hugs and kisses lovies. **


End file.
